Firewall
by HellaciousSeer
Summary: Hidden within the internet, there is a digital reality that houses several AI, as well as dangerous Viruses. It is a world where everyone's strength relies on the Youtubers they represent. A young AI by the name of Jack ( Jacksepticeye ) grows quickly in this world and with rising power comes drastic changes, one of which involving the sudden reveal of a brand new threat.
1. Chapter 1

It was frustrating that he couldn't blink away the blurriness. No matter how hard he squinted the green object wouldn't reveal its figure to him. Despite that, he had somehow found it in the grass; it's somewhat round yet flat shape standing out against the thin slivers of much darker green. It both intrigued and infuriated him at the same time. He desperately wanted to know what it was, but even bringing it to the tip of his nose didn't help. He gritted his teeth and threw it to the ground, officially giving up " _hhhhyyaaaaa!_ " he hollered as he stomped it into the grass, his voice, among other things, had not yet matured even though the viciousness of his actions suggested otherwise. He glared down at the indentation he had made in the grass, a shadow being cast into it so he could see the foot shaped dent even with his poor vision. He couldn't even see the round thing anymore, for it had been smashed and hidden by the shadows. He stood there for a bit before wandering off, losing interest like all children eventually did.

He found a place beneath the brown blur which had been once pointed out as something called a "thhhrreeeeeee" to sit. His small hands eventually found the surface of the thhhrreeeeeee, and he couldn't help but pick at the rough skin that protected it. It felt interesting, but once again, he was frustrated that he couldn't see the details which made it so cool. He began tearing at the skin, ripping off strips and letting them fall lifelessly to the ground.

He squealed as two hands much larger than his own suddenly scooped him up from under his small arms, an almost cooing voice coming from behind him as he was carried off. He squirmed slightly, frustrated once again that his hearing was just as flawed as his vision. He started speaking gibberish, the only sounds he had learned to utter up till then, hoping they could tell that he wanted to be put down.

Indeed he was put down, but only when they were inside. He frowned, sputtering crossly as he was placed in the oddly shaped soft prison like structure he had grown so familiar with. He grew too loath it, its soft bowl like shape reaching so high he couldn't climb out. After a pat on the head, and a blur of purple, the hands withdrew and the light went out.

He tried to reach up and grab the edges, but they were just out of reach. Like always. He grumpily sat down, crossing his arms and glaring at his feet in the darkness. While he was indeed tired, he hated the fact that he had to leave the outside; it was boring. Yet as time went on the darkness began to take its soothing effect on him. He hated giving up but like every day, the darkness ironically awoke the exhaustion that had been pushed aside for the entire day.

Waking up had to be the worst thing. It was one of the reasons why he didn't want to go to sleep in the first place. The light always turned on right over his head; startling him as well as hurting his eyes to the point of making them water. This morning in particular was one of his worse days. He frantically rubbed at his eyes as he was picked up, blubbering like an idiot as he was taken away.

He grumbled, closing his eyes as he waited to be put down in the grass like usual. He waited for a bit before looking back up, confused as to why it was taking so long, and he flinched as the grass he had played in every day flashed right by. He blinked rapidly before beginning to freak out. He had never been anywhere but that soft prison and the grass, and the thought of leaving both of them behind terrified him. His routine had been broken, and he had no idea why.

He tried to get out from their arms, yet despite their gentle touch they had a surprisingly strong grip. Eventually, he gave up and buried his face into their shoulder and long hair, whimpering out of fear as they officially left his comfort zone. After a while, they stopped, and he was shifted around so he wasn't hiding in their purple blur of hair and now facing out. He went still as he saw someone else in front of him. He had never interacted with someone else besides the purple haired person, he hadn't known someone else besides them and the other kids even existed. He shivered, intimidated and afraid as this tall person reached forward and took hold of him. The exchange of seemingly cheerful words were muffled to him, much like every other noise was, and almost immediately he was being carried off by this person he had never met before. He cried out and tried to get back to the purple blur, but they were already gone.

He was so confused as to why he had been given away. His heart jolted as he realized that maybe he wasn't loved anymore. Maybe he was being punished because he had destroyed part of the thhhrreeeeeee. That was when he began to cry, which he almost never did. He only cried when he fell down and hurt himself, he had never cried tears of actual sadness or fear, and it hurt more than usual. He sobbed into this stranger's shoulder, crying out the only sounds he could make, shaking violently as he continued to be taken farther and farther away.

"Hey"

He froze, going silent as a strange combination of sounds came from the stranger.

"You're alright"

Tears still streamed down his face, yet he stayed silent as his ears seemed to open up like a flower in bloom, the sounds becoming crisp and clear, including the sound of his own heart racing.

"I've been there"

He couldn't figure out what the sounds meant. The only thing he did know was that they were oddly soothing; his heart began to slow down a bit.

"Don't worry, you'll see her again"

The tears had stopped by now.

"You're just growing up"

He looked at the stranger's face, mouth falling agape as his vision, for the first time, began to clear up.

"You're just becoming stronger" he could see gentle brown eyes staring down at him, a smile forming right underneath "soon you'll be able to make your own choices" he didn't even notice as they suddenly entered a huge room. It took him a second to realize it, and when he did he began to frantically look around, trying to get a look at every little thing with his new vision.

"Is that him?"

He blinked and turned to see someone else standing there, his tiny breath getting lost as this new stranger was even taller than the brown eyed guy. But with his vision clear, he could clearly see the details of this man. He got lost in the brilliant blue of his eyes as he was handed over, surprisingly not scared anymore.

"Yeah, that's him. Hard to believe it though; he's so young"

He still couldn't figure out the meaning of the sounds they exchanged, but as of right now he couldn't care less. He could see and he could hear, and everything he saw and heard was so interesting he wasn't even paying attention anymore.

"Hey you"

He blinked and looked up as the new guy addressed him, almost glowing as something had begun to emit a bright light behind him "I bet you're confused" he smiled, holding him up higher so they met eye to eye "what's your name? Do you know it yet?"

He still couldn't figure out what he was saying, but he knew he wanted some kind of response. Just the way he said it compelled him to open his mouth and speak as if it was instinctual for him to do so. And at that moment, something came from within his throat, an odd combination of noises that he had somehow known for all this time.

"Jack"

Jack flinched, being dragged from the extensive memory as his name echoed off the chamber walls "are you alright?" the voice asked, that all too familiar shade of blue within his eyes shone like stars against the light that silluieted his tall form "are you nervous?"

Jack shook his head "n-no… Just…" he looked into the light, his breath dragged away as he got lost in its brilliance "I'm…"

"…Nostalgic?" the man chuckled "I remember the first time you saw this place, how big your eyes got upon seeing it" he looked Jack over "and how small the rest of you had been"

Jack's face went a scarlet red as he recalled the flashback he had just experienced. When he had first met this man, he had been less than two feet tall, but his height had increased rapidly through the following years, yet even then he still had to crane his neck back in order to meet his gaze. Though, if he ever needed to talk with the man's chest for some reason, he was the perfect height.

"S-Shut up!" a flustered Jack crossed his arms, glaring at him "yer embarrassin' me, Felix!"

"Hey now, don't get worked up before the ceremony" another man came up to stand beside Jack, standing taller than the younger one but not quite as high as the man named Felix "speaking of which, we're about to begin."

Jack's felt a flutter within his chest, his clammy hands curling into fists as the two men exchanged words "and the wall is clear?" Felix asked the other man, who had begun to lazily adjust his hair "yeah, and the other Experts are gathered, all we need is the guy himself."

"How's the Core?"

"Calm and ready to go" the man looked at Jack "nerves got ya?"

"N-No Mark" Jack lied, puffing out his chest and standing on his tippy-toes "not at all!" he tried his best to make his voice sound steady as he wobbled around on his toes "can we go now?" he quickly asked " _before I change my mind_ " he added silently to himself as Mark nodded and gestured to the light "yeah… Go get him, Jack-a-boy"

Jack shuddered, forcing his legs to move for they felt like stone. Felix and Mark walked on either side of him as the light drew closer and closer. Jack could eventually make out silhouettes standing near the source, four of them; one shy of the complete group.

"Jack" Mark suddenly whispered, giving him a comforting pat on his shoulder "no matter what, just keep going; no ceremony is flawless" he ruffled Jack's hair before breaking away to stand by the others, making five silhouettes.

Felix looked at him, the light illuminating his skin so that he looked almost holy "see you soon" he smiled before leaving him to stand alone. He stood off to the side and watched, the five others turning to look at him as well.

Before he knew it, Jack has started walking once more, pushing through the light until he could make our his destination; a pool of sorts filled with shimmering water, the light coming from deep within.

Jack felt both honored and terrified, his hands shaking as he began to step into the surprisingly cold water. He shook even more as he slowly eased his way into the pool, the shining water rippling away from him as he descended. He had been told ahead of time of what would happen to him in the water when he got there, yet it still came as a shock when his cloths instantly began to dissolve right off of him upon making contact with the water.

As the particles flew up and out of the water to float away through the air, Jack recalled the words of Felix from the day before "cloths can interfere with a syncing, but there's no reason to go in naked. Anything that's not an official part of your avatar will be broken down into code and sent off to your personal Antechamber" at that time, Felix had shrugged in response to Jack's look of utter confusion "the water's _special_ " the explanation had been rushed "it's code is built to break apart other unwelcome codes, that's why the Core is submerged in it so it stays safe"

Jack lamely splashed about in the water, debating how to approach the light's source. He groaned to himself before taking a breath and diving under, a violent shiver running down his spine as the icy water swept over his head. He blindly groped out in front of him as his legs thrashed around in a pitiful attempt to swim downwards and towards the source.

Bubbled spewed out from his nose and mouth as his fingers struck something hard, slightly bending them the wrong way and causing an aching pain that refused to fade even as he managed to cling to whatever he had found. Jack clawed at the object in desperation to get a solid grip so he wouldn't float away, but that soon proved unnecessary as he could feel the object begin to grab back.

Jack let out an underwater yelp as he experienced the weirdest sensation he had ever felt before in his life when the object began to pull him inside of itself. What had once been solid and smooth was now an almost gooey and glutinous mass that clung to his skin, dragging him out from the water and into whatever lay inside.

His lungs were burning by now, his eyes squeezed shut as his torso was now all that stuck out from the mass, he was close to losing consciousness from the lack of air by the time his head as also dragged inside.

Jack jerked awake and took in a breath as he suddenly got a face full of fresh air. He grabbed at his knees, curling into a tight ball as he examined his surroundings. It was just how everyone had promised: utterly _boring_.

It was nothing but a white space that was void of any sound or gravity for that matter. He floated with no ground to rest on, yet he could breathe. Jack sighed, soothing his lungs of their previous burning and allowing him to relax as how he had been taught. He could feel himself relaxing to the point of falling asleep, oddly at ease despite being stark naked as he was at the time of his birth.

Just before he went under he began to feel something in his chest; an open feeling, as if his breast was that of a blooming flower. Soon, he could feel that imaginary flower spread to its full potential, and as that feeling swept through his body, the bliss of a peaceful sleep overcame Jack like a gust of wind.

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	2. Chapter 2

Mark put all of his weight onto the railing, staring off into the distance from his high vantage point. He casually brushed his bright red hair off to the side so it wouldn't dangle in front of his face and tickle his brow. Mark eventually sighed and stepped away from the railing, his brown eyes closing as he could hear the abrupt roar of battle off in the distance.

"Sounds like one of the patrols got some themselves some action" he thought almost longingly, listening to the distant chaos "perhaps a level 5?" he continued to listen, focusing intently "must be in the outer ring, since their kicking its ass." Mark reopened his eyes so he could look up at the sky, getting lost in thought.

"There's been plenty of activity lately."

Mark blinked and turned to see Felix walking over, a small dog trotting after him "the outer ring has been crawling with Viruses ever since Jack began his syncing" Felix came to stand beside Mark, looking out at the land in front of them "I guess they've caught wind of his potential."

"Meaning he might get a Character yet" Mark smiled "good for him."

Felix looked at him "what's wrong?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I've known you for years, Mark" Felix let his gaze wander out to the horizon "I know when something's bugging you"

Mark fell silent, his lips pursing together as he knew he couldn't hide anything from Felix "the same thing happened when I first went in there" he explained, looking up at the sky once again "and all I got was…"

"You're worried he won't get anything special" Felix concluded, smiling a bit "well, even if that's the case, he'll still grow stronger. With the way his code has been acting up, he'll emerge an Expert for sure"

"True… I just don't want him to be disappointed" Mark looked down at his feet, where Felix's small dog had begun to paw at his pants, its eyes gleaming in the sunlight "well, Edgar seems to share my thoughts" Felix picked up the dog, holding it up so Mark can look into its eyes "say Edgar, what do you think Mark should do?"

" _Well Poods!_ " Mark had to stifle a laugh as Felix suddenly started talking in a high pitched voice, bouncing the tiny dog around in his arms to make it appear that it was talking " _Mark needs to stop worrying and just be optimistic, because Jack just doesn't give a shit!"_ Felix waved Edgar's paws around, gently hitting Mark in the shoulder with them " _Jack's got what it takes, Characters or not, he'll probably get stronger with just his determination alone!"_

"Well said, Edgar!" Felix returned to his normal voice as he put the dog down, who immediately trotted off to sniff something "in all seriousness though, Jack really does have what it takes. Hell, he might even be stronger then you after today."

"I'd love to see that" Mark admitted, going back to lean on the railing "though I'm worried he might make some foolish mistakes regarding the patrol schedule."

"Like I'd let him be in charge of that on his first day" Felix laughed "no, you and Vanoss can handle that on your own, even if Jack gets to be stronger then you. You know the territory better then even me."

Mark nodded thoughtfully, his eyes now closed "that is true…" he fell silent for a while, thinking of something to say "when will Jack get out?" he asked after a long period of silence, the uproar of distant fighting now fading away as the conflict was resolved "in a few hours" Felix checked the time via a technical wrist band "I've instructed MatPat to contact you when he's out, so you can focus on other things beside your watch."

"Thanks for that" Mark sighed "speaking of focusing on other things, has an update on the Firewall come in?"

"It has already been broken down; MatPat just needs someone to shower the results on."

"I volunteer as tribute!" Mark began to walk away before "at least that will make the wait not as excruciating." He waved goodbye to Felix just before he rounded a corner, sighing as he tried to stop thinking about Jack " _he'll be fine, you moron_ " he hissed to himself as he made his way down from the huge wall he had been standing on, going back down into the secure community that the wall protected.

The wall was huge, both in thickness and height. Mark never really took the stairway down, for it was time consuming. He simply leaped onto a nearby rooftop and parkored wherever he needed to go. Since he was capable of saving himself from a fall, Felix allowed it. Mark hopped from building to building with ease, showing of how much he had practiced over the years. He stopped to look up at his destination: a rather tall and technological building that was adjacent to a huge dome shaped building that was made mostly from stained blue glass. Mark glanced at the dome before leaping down to solid ground and entering the other building.

The entire inside was mostly black and grey, green lights and touch screens lined up against every available wall as well as scattered around in the open space. Some even hung from the ceiling by long cords. Mark weaved his way through the screens, trying his best not to knock them over "holly hell MatPat you really ought to clean up around here."

"There are reasons for those!" a muffled voice came from behind a closed door that led to a closet. Mark rolled his eyes and went over to open it "what's the point of having a huge work space if you insist on cooping yourself up in this tiny little closet?" Mark crossed his arms as he looked down at a young man who sat criss-crossed on the floor who wore plain and simple cloths, his short brown hair a lazy mess. He was hunched over a touch screen much like the other ones, only this one was small. "The small space allows my voice commands to get through easier" he said, looking up at Mark "it's nice to put our hyper-realistic version of real life physics to use."

"Yeah yeah, you've told me that before" Mark allowed room for MatPat to stand up with his screen "the Firewall update is ready for analyzing" MatPat pulled out an even smaller screen from his back pocket "but I'm assuming you already knew that."

"It only took around five minutes of chatter for Felix to finally get around to telling me."

"Well, he had reason to talk to you" MatPat handed him the small screen "you've been unusually down on yourself lately"

Mark frowned "so even you noticed?"

"Everyone has noticed" MatPat looked at him right in the eye "you're not exactly what one would call 'secretive.'"

"Eh, I'd prefer it that way. Secrets are no fun" Mark took the screen and started fiddling with it, blinking as numbers started to flash by on the screen "huh… that's odd… Why is the Firewall so…?"

"I know it's weird, right?" MatPat weaved around Mark to interact with one of the many big screens "it's stronger than usual… The Core got a boost from somewhere, and I have a theory…"

"Jack?"

"Felix might be right in hoping that Jack will emerge and Expert" MatPat started typing out lines of code onto the screen "ever since the syncing began, the Core has been purring like a kitten."

"Purring?"

"Not literally. I meant it's nice and stable."

"Oh, good. I was concerned there for a second" Mark shuddered "if the Core suddenly started making noises I would never, ever sync with it again."

"I agree. Especially since it grabs you... Can you imagine how terrifying it would be if it started talking when you were getting pulled in-?"

"Oh god please shut up and spare me of that visual" Mark shuddered, turning back to the screen.

Silence soon loomed over the two of them as Mark kept on examining the data that was presenting itself on the screen "well..." Mark eventually looked up from the screen "I'm not seeing any problems besides the increase in Virus activity."

"Hey, who can blame them? Jack was a huge threat out there even before he entered the Core... Can you imagine what he could do when he gets out?" MatPat took the small screen from Mark and tucked it away "now, go run along, I need to get back to work."

Mark rolled his eyes at MatPat's exaggerated fatherly tone, which was immensely out of place considering that he was about a full foot taller than the technology enthusiast, but he obliged anyway as he had nothing else to do there. Mark sighed as he walked out of the building, boredom creeping back up his spine as he grabbed hold of a nearby roof and hauled himself up. He kept on climbing from building to building, going higher and higher with each leap and pull. The wind in his face made him feel like he was almost flying. He eventually came to rest on the roof of an immensely tall building, getting a perfect view of a rapidly approaching sunset.

He looked down at his hands, stretching his fingers out before curling them up into a fist. He could feel his fingernails gently dig into his palm, not enough to cause pain but he indeed felt it. He frowned, repeating the action a couple times, lost in thought. Feeling things was not a special event for him; he felt things all the time. The shoes on his feet, the wind in his face, the flannel jacket he wore catching the air whenever he made a jump... These sensations were always present. Yet time to time, he would stop to wonder why he could feel those things, for feeling was a human thing, and he was for sure not a human.

"Yes I am" he suddenly said aloud to no one in particular, as if he was trying to convince himself of something "humans don't have to be organic."

He frowned at himself, feeling nostalgic as he remembered saying those words to Felix once, back when he was smaller and weaker.

"Blood and flesh do not make us human. It is our spirit and our soul that do" he had continued before Felix could interrupt "so I'm a human, because I have feelings too!"

Mark couldn't help but smile as he remembered Felix's reaction "you can call yourself whatever you want, because honestly, regarding that I'm having this discussion with you, I know I won't be able to convince you otherwise" Felix had then proceeded to ruffle his hair as if he was a child, which back then, he most certainly was "there's no harm in choosing your own identity, as long as you don't choose for others."

Mark closed his eyes as he came back from the memory, the sound of fighting beyond the wall beginning to echo out too him once more. He reopened his eyes to watch the sunset, periodically clenching his fist in order to get that odd sensation "what's it even like in the real world?" Mark thought, getting lost in the ball of plasma that sent colors blazing across the sky. It was beautiful, whenever he got a chance Mark would just take a moment to drink in the sight.

"Do humans get this same view?" he thought "I would love to see if their sun was any different..."

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you sure this is allowed?"

"Of course it is, anyone in stage three or higher can stay up as late as they want"

"But..."

"Come on, I want to show you something"

Jack muttered something under his breath as he hesitantly followed Mark through the darkness, looking around wildly as he didn't want to trip over something "th-this is kinda spooky" he whispered "h-how much farther do we have to go?"

"It's just here" Mark suddenly stopped walking right as he neared a building that looked like it was close to falling apart; several bricks stuck out from their original places, the cement dry and heavily cracked. Jack flinched as Mark suddenly grabbed hold of one of these bricks and pulled himself off the ground, his feet going to stand on another brick "watch me" he instructed as he began climbing. Jack gaped at him as he went so high he was able to climb onto the roof "its okay, the roof is still sturdy" he called down "now it's your turn!"

"What!? I can't do that!" Jack cried, backing away "I-I'll fall!"

"Not if you're careful. Come on, I'll help you" Mark extended his much longer arm down the side of the building "see? I can grab you in case you fall"

Jack gawked at his amazing reach "w-wait... If you can do that, then just pull me up!"

"You have to learn to do things the hard way" Mark looked down at him "climbing is a great skill to have. Now come on" he gave a reassuring smile "I believe in you!"

Jack whimpered before grabbing a brick, shaking as he stepped up onto another "yeah, just like that" Mark encouraged him "now you see that other one by your foot? Go to that one... There you go! Now keep on coming up!"

"Oohhhhhh Mark I hate this!" Jack hissed through clenched teeth, shaking as he glanced down "hey, eyes on me" Mark drew Jack's attention back up to him "just keep climbing, don't look anywhere but the bricks and me."

"H-How high am I?" Jack huffed after a while, his smaller hands beginning to shake "that doesn't matter, you're almost there" Mark smiled "come on, just a few more steps!"

Jack grunted as he managed to grab hold of the roof's edge, kicking at the wall as he began to pull himself up "great job!" Mark made room for Jack to swing up a leg and roll onto the roof, his narrower chest heaving "m-my hands hurt" he wheezed, sitting up to look at his fragile palms "they'll get tougher" Mark stood up "now come on, we've got just enough time."

"F-For what?" Jack felt his heart lurch, afraid that he would have to climb some more "we're going to the Firewall" Mark said, helping him up.

"The... Firewall?" Jack stared at Mark "what!? But... But... I'm not ready to go there yet! Felix is gonna get SO mad at you!"

"No he won't, because I have permission" Mark reassured "Felix wants you to see this just as much as I do."

"Uh... Okayyyy?" Jack frowned in the general direction from where he had climbed up "what's so important for me to risk death for?"

"Oh come on, that was not dangerous at all" Mark went to Jack's side and pointed up at the huge wall that surrounded the entire community "but when you get up there, you'll want to do that same thing over and over again." He smiled almost to himself.

"Mark..."

"Yeah?"

"Yer getting all dreamy again" Jack crossed his arms "its weirding me out"

"Ah, sorry... We really should get going" immediately after he said that, he suddenly picked up Jack from under the arms "AGH! _MARK_!" Jack shrieked as Mark easily hoisted him up onto his back, making Jack cling to him in fear of falling off "you _know_ I hate it when you do that!"

"Well, this is for your safety" Mark said "even I know you're not quite ready for this."

"Ready for whaaaAAAAHHHHHHTT!?" Jack started screaming mid-sentence for Mark suddenly shot off into a full on sprint, leaping off the edge of the roof and landing on another building "F-FOOKING ALE MARK!" Jack shrieked when Mark didn't stop running, eventually taking another leap "Y-YER GOING TO GET US KILLED!"

"And you're going to wake everybody up!" Mark replied, clearly enjoying himself "just relax, I won't drop you!"

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and held on for dear life as Mark continued to jump from roof to roof, gradually getting higher up until they finally reached the top of the wall "ah, perfect timing" Mark said as he landed on the wall, plucking a quivering Jack from his back and setting him down to stand on his own "the piggy-back ride is over!"

"D-Don't ever do that again!" Jack bubblered, struggling to keep his balance as he was shaking so much, glaring up at Mark as he saw that his much taller companion was apparently finding humor in his reaction, which was evident by the way Mark struggled to keep a straight face.

"Take a look" Mark suddenly sat down, gesturing to the world beyond the wall "make yourself comfortable."

"Mark, I can't see shit" Jack muttered crossly "it's nighttime, remember?"

"Just watch, make yourself comfy" Mark leaned back on his arms "you're going to love this."

Jack rolled his eyes before plopping down next to Mark, hugging his knees "I-it's cold up here..." he murmured "and the air is really... strong...?"

"That's called wind" Mark explained "we don't get much of it because the wall blocks it... Now watch, it's going to happen soon."

Jack frowned, growing skeptical "yer pulling my leg, Mark. What in the world could be interesting about _this?_ " He dramatically waved his hand out to the darkness beyond "it's nothing but-"

He stopped mid-sentence, blinking rapidly as what appeared to be a faint color began to spread out on a horizontal plain, the darkness beginning to be chased away "what... IS that?"

"Have you ever wondered where the sun comes from?" Mark asked whimsically "well, there you go... We call it the sunrise... Every morning when the moon and stars go down, the sun replaces it by coming up from this spot.

"Why is it... so... colorful?" Jack watched with amazement as the sun began to emerge, vibrant blues, pinks, and yellows streaked across the sky "it's in the lights' programming... We can only assume it's like this for the humans as well."

Jack didn't move for the longest time, he was frozen with fascination at the crazy sight, his eyes actually watering from staring at the sun directly "does… this happen every day?"

"Yup… And it looks the same when it sets, too" Mark hitched a thumb over his shoulder "but you'd have to go to the opposite end of the wall in order to see it set."

"What about you?" Jack tore his gaze away from the vibrant colors to look up at Mark "do you really come up here _every_ morning?"

"Whenever I can" Mark shrugged "sometimes when I have to work extra long, I miss it because I slept in afterwards…"

"Does the moon make those same colors?"

"Huh? Oh, no. The moon just reflects off some silver light and stuff… Though, it's fun trying to find shapes in the stars that follow shortly after." Mark suddenly fell back with his hands behind his head "you can still see them, but when the color reaches them, they'll disappear like every day."

Jack blinked and craned his neck back in order to see what Mark was talking about. The tiny white dots that were the stars twinkled against the dark sky, but the colorful light that came with the sun was beginning to blot most of them out with its intensity. Jack laid down beside Mark so his neck wouldn't ache from the uncomfortable position "why did Felix make them?" he eventually whispered, almost to himself "they serve no real purpose besides being nice to look at."

"That's the thing" Mark glanced at him "Felix didn't program those codes."

"What?" Jack gave him a startled look "but he made everything-"

"Not _everything_ " he chuckled, looking back up at the stars "just what's inside the Firewall… Everything out there was already programmed by the time he was born" Mark smiled to himself "Felix doesn't want to mess with them, because… well… at some point, you begin to wonder who made them, and how the world would be different without them…"

Jack continued to look up at the stars, thinking about what he had said "will we ever know who programmed them?" he asked after a long period of silence, blinking rapidly as his eyelids suddenly began to get heavy "maybe, maybe not" Jack rubbed his eyes as Mark began his answer "but… in my opinion, we shouldn't worry about it…"

Jack found his eyes closing as Mark continued on "all we should worry about is the fact that one day; it might not be there anymore…"

Darkness swept over him, dragging him down into a peaceful void, Mark's words following him down into sleep:

"…so we better enjoy it while we can."

…

Jack awoke with a start, groaning as his eyes stung upon opening up to the world around him, his vision was horribly blurry, as if he hadn't used them for a long time. He placed a clammy hand onto his forehead, gritting his teeth as pain began to radiate from his skull. He lay like that for a while, frowning as he recalled what he had just woken up from "a memory for a dream? That's never happened before" he tried to sit up from where he lay, wincing as his whole body felt atrophied and stiff.

"Ah, so he lives."

Jack blinked rapidly before looking around, the blurriness beginning to fade away to reveal someone sitting at his bedside. He sighed with relief as he recognized the plain white face mask that stared back at him "h-how…" Jack coughed, squeezing his eyes shut from the pain he felt in his throat after trying to communicate.

"Careful, you haven't really done anything for the past couple days" his visitor placed a hand onto Jack's shoulder "at least one day in the Core, and another in the medical bay" his voice was soothing and calm, almost like silk "just take your time."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes "C-Cry…" he coughed out the man's name despite encouragement to stay silent "d-did… I…"

"You did great" Cry quickly answered in order to get Jack to stop talking "and nothing major happened. The Viruses are still Viruses and there have been no heavy attack" Cry sat back in his chair "the only problem was that the city was quite dull without you."

Before Jack could try to ask something else, the door to the room they were in suddenly opened "well, well… Look at you!" the familiar face of MatPat suddenly popped into view from the door way "that's the fastest I've seen anyone wake up from a syncing… How are you?" he closed the door behind himself before making his way over to Jack's other side. He swiftly picked up Jack's arm, letting to fall back down to his side with an ungraceful flop "still pretty weak I see… That's alright, it's normal to experience such things."

Jack looked at him, blinking rapidly as he realized what a perfect opportunity this was "M-MatPat?" he croaked to Cry's concern "I…" he paused, trying to figure out how to put it now that he had his attention "I've b-been… having… weird…"

"Symptoms?" MatPat tried to finish for him so he would stop straining himself, but Jack only shook his head "n-no… dre-" He was suddenly cut off by violent coughing fit, clutching his chest out of pain "Jack, now is not the time" Cry jumped up and forced him to completely lay down "stop hurting yourself and just lay still" he whispered urgently.

"It's not like I'm never going to come back" MatPat reassured as he saw Jack's stubbornness refuse to desist "you can tell me later… But as of now, you need to let yourself recover"

"Yes, please" Cry pulled the covers of the bed up to Jack's neck "I'll make sure someone's always with you."

Although it peeved him to be restrained despite his urge to jump up and go back to his daily routine, he had to appreciate their concern, no matter how frustrating it was. He looked from Cry to MatPat before grunting and rolling over onto his side, closing his eyes as he heard them both give a sigh of relief "we'll give you some peace and quiet" MatPat said "Cry, a word?" he began to walk away.

"I just promised to be with him."

"And you will be in just a moment, but I need to speak with you."

Cry glanced at Jack, his mask revealing no emotion yet MatPat could sense the concern coming from him "Jack's fine, he's practically asleep anyway. I just need to ask you something."

Cry sighed before hesitantly getting up from his seat and following him out "be quick, please."

"When he tried to speak before… What do you think he was trying to say?" MatPat looked at him, crossing his arms "Hm… It began with a " _dre_ " sound… Maybe he was trying to talk about his dreams?"

"Most likely… Tell me, did you have any weird dreams when you had your syncing?"

"I didn't dream at all… and I don't recall anyone else talking about such a thing, ether."

"Hmph… alright… you can go back to him now" MatPat watched as Cry quickly ducked back into the room, his brain beginning to whirl around in a storm of thoughts "make sure he doesn't stain himself" he reminded him before walking off "I'll need to ask him some questions myself later on."

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	4. Chapter 4

Yellow and blue streaked by him, his blade nothing but a blur as it danced under his control, changing from brown, to grey, then to the polished white of iron. While it did indeed go by rather quickly, it gave him that much desired rush, something he had been lacking for some time. The enemy was eventually decoded with utmost efficiency, and he was soon disappointed as it disintegrated to reveal an empty field.

Pursing his lips together, he brushed back his curly brown hair and let the massive sword retreat back into his Antechamber as well as the golden armor that covered his torso and shoulders. He sighed as the wind chilled his overheating muscles, causing him to shiver as he retreated back to the Firewall, looking up at the protective structure.

"Need a lift?" a voice suddenly came from above along with a hefty gust of wind, a huge shadow overcoming him as a familiar face landed in front of him. He met the others' eyes, simply nodding as he couldn't really think of anything to say "any challenge I find just vanishes far too quickly" he thought as two hands suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and lifted him right off the ground, almost immediately rocketing off into the air.

He had almost no reaction whatsoever since this was normal for him "thanks" he said as he was eventually set down on the edge of the wall, his carrier landing right beside him "anytime" two huge yellow, black, and white birds wings folding back to nestle against their back, a few feathers falling free and being stolen away by the wind "hey, cheer up, a small rush is better than no rush at all."

"I don't even know how you handle not fighting for such long periods of time" he looked out at the land beyond the Firewall "you rarely go out… Only Felix stays in more then you." He suddenly shook his head wildly, his hand going to strike himself in the face out of what appeared to be a reflex of some kind.

"I get used to it… Freefalling helps" his friend gestured to his wings, completely ignoring the sudden self abuse as if it was a common event "also exploring the mountain territories out in the outer ring is fun" they looked back at him "you know you're allowed to explore too, Sky."

Sky looked down, moving his curly hair out of his face with one hand and massaging the mark he had left on himself with the other "paranoia is holding me back" he shrugged "and I like hanging out with the stage three kids anyway" he said before slapping himself once more.

"Fair point… they are most defiantly not boring." His friend looked on as Sky's look of frustration and stress suddenly began to melt away into a happier look, the self harm obviously having an effect of some kind.

"Speaking of boring… Gatherings sure as hell won't be anymore."

"What?" Sky's mouth curled up into a large smile as his mood officially changed for the better, his chocolate brown eyes almost gleaming against the sunlight.

"Jack's awake and MatPat and confirmed it… He's an expert now."

Sky's interest suddenly peaked "what game?" he asked quickly, getting excited.

"Er… no clue. Last time I checked, he couldn't even stand yet."

"Well, when was the last time you checked?"

"About… a few hours ago?"

"Well then, I guess checking right now won't do any harm!" Sky suddenly began to trot off "thanks Vanoss, you may have just made my day!"

"Hey! You just had a fight!" Vanoss began to hurry after him, his wings beginning to dissolve into code so he could fit through the archway that was built over the staircase that Sky was now running down "quit goofing off like you're in stage two! You'd run someone over like last time!"

"Like anyone would be dumb enough to wander _towards_ the sound of my yelling-" Sky was cut off as there was a flash of orange and his face had hit something sturdy. Vanoss grumbled crossly as two screams came from the knot of arms and legs that were now tumbling down the stairs, bystanders were also screaming as they leapt away from the oncoming bundle that didn't stop rolling until it had reached the end of the stairs and hit a wall.

Vanoss hurried down to them "see? What did I tell you?" he pulled the victim of Sky's careless running up off the ground "are you alright-" he stopped as he saw who it was "oh… hi" he said to the rather beefy man who gave him a grateful smile for his concern "I'm okay, thanks" they quickly assured in order to put Vanoss at ease "just a little banged up, that's all."

"Uh, help?" Sky, who still lay on the ground, dramatically reached up towards them, making Vanoss snort "oh no, you can stay down there." Vanoss crossed his arms as Sky let out a fake wail of distress, coming awfully close to resembling a baby "why do you insist on acting so childish? You're an Expert for crying out loud."

"If I recall, growing up required a lack of fun" Sky suddenly stopped wailing aloud, picking himself up off the ground, a goofy smile on his face "I may be an Expert, but having a good laugh here and there might just keep me from permanently becoming the stone cold hard-ass that starts showing whenever I fight."

"Yeah, he can be pretty metal out there" the muscular man looked at Vanoss "you can't really deny that."

"I accept that, and I also know that some enjoyment of life is healthy, but you should be a better role model for the little ones."

"I am a good role model, when it comes to humor improvisation" Sky dusted off his pants "well, anyway, I'm going to nag at Jack for a few hours about his Characters, you wanna come with, Ken?" Sky looked expectantly at the beefy man he had tackled down the stairs.

Ken thought for a bit before shaking his head "naw, I can't, I'm reliving Mark from wall watch soon."

"Uh-Oh, Mark's gonna be free? Oh shit! I gotta get to Jack before he gets all 'big brother' on me again!" Sky suddenly shot off into a dead sprint "yeah, and he has a good reason to do so!" Vanoss yelled after him, but like always, Sky didn't even listen and just kept on running.

Meanwhile, Cry had begun reading an old book to Jack in an attempt to entertain him, putting his unique and highly regarded speaking skills to use "the rules of the law are clear, and so is the fact that they are airtight. Loopholes have been sealed over time. This is the era of right from wrong, and the shade from which darkness and light merge is nothing more than the spawn of conspiracy-"

"Cry this makes no bloody sense" Jack suddenly interrupted, his voice still ragged, but he could at least talk in full sentences now "who the hell wrote something so goddamn complicated? 'We have strong laws' would of been just fine."

"I did."

"The fook ye did." Jack rolled his eyes, clearly agitated that he couldn't leave the medical bay yet; driving him to be much more irritable then usual "yer not a writer."

"Maybe that's why it sucks" Cry dismissed Jack's pissy behavior, having seen it in others so often that he knew Jack didn't really mean it "either way, I'm not leaving you to get another book so you'll just have to do with this complicated mess... Now-"

The door suddenly burst open, causing Cry to drop the book out of shock, and making Jack let out a horse yelp "uh, excuse me?" Cry turned to see Sky standing at the doorway, failing to cover up his heavy breathing as he leaned against the doorframe "hi!" he breathed, wearing his signature goofy smile.

"Oh come on, not now!" Cry stood up, his voice suddenly dropping to a whisper "he's in no condition."

"For what?" Jack suddenly croaked, beginning to sit up, but Cry quickly turned and forced him back down "oh no you don't, you stay still. _Sky_ …" he glared at their surprise company "with me, _now._ "

Sky backed up a bit so Cry could step into the hallway, becoming a barrier between him and the room "Jack was cleared to start talking only an hour ago, he's not ready to try your silly little Character game!" Cry crossed his arms "he needs Felix to train him, not you."

"Well last time I checked, Felix made me head of _Character attendance_ " Sky smiled proudly "so I'm perfectly qualified to help him out."

" _Help_ him? Sky, he can't even walk! Do you imagine what kind of strain summoning a Character _THIS_ early would do to him?"

Sky peeked at Jack over Cry's shoulder as he talked, but Cry quickly slid over to the side in order to block his view, but due to Sky being at least a head taller than him, his efforts did little "you can be so carefree sometimes…" Cry muttered "and sometimes, it's okay… Hell I welcome it if it's needed to brighten up the mood... But now? No."

"Cry?" Sky said, getting another peek at Jack.

"Don't get me wrong, you're my friend, but no is no, Sky."

" _Cry?_ " he repeated, still looking at Jack.

"Jesus Christ why can't you accept the fact that he's not ready! You're entertainment does not come before his well being!" Cry threw out his arms "Characters _never_ come out after a _single_ day, anyway!"

"Oh really?" Cry was caught off guard as Sky casually lifted his hand up, his usual grin widening as he pointed at something over Cry's shoulder "then what's _that_?"

Cry immediately whirled around, and nearly crashed into Sky's chest as he took a step back. Jack was sitting up in his bed, staring at the both of his hands with wide eyes, a grin large then Sky's spreading across his face. His breathing was labored as he tried to calm his excitement, for within his hands lay something green and round, and it was _moving_.

"Don't forget" Sky whispered to Cry, slipping by him so he could walk over to Jack "he's a _special case_."

Cry was speechless, unable to do anything as Sky hovered over Jack, peering down at whatever Jack was cradling in his palms "wow, that's both creepy and insanely cute!" Sky looked back at Cry "come take a look at this!"

Cry shook himself from his shock and rushed over to stand beside Jack, his breath hitching as he saw whatever Jack had apparently summoned. It was the size of a base ball, and to put it simply, it was an eye. But where there should have been white, there was a bright green… It was probably the weirdest thing he had ever seen, but Sky was right in the fact that it was oddly adorable.

Its quote on quote "tail" flicked side to side; wrapping around Jack's shaking fingers whenever it wanted to shift around, and Cry could only assume that its main reason for doing that was to get a better look at its surroundings. It's bright, icy blue iris was a perfect match to Jacks own shade of blue "h-how did you do this?" Cry sputtered; baffled at the fact that he had summoned this eye all on his own, without guidance or even prior training "it's… It's…"

" _AWESOME!_ " Jack suddenly cried out, holding the eye to his face, grinning like a mad man "IT'S SO FOOKING _COOL_!"

Cry looked up at Sky to see that he looked oddly proud "did you do something?" Cry frowned, but he was shocked to see Sky shake his head "nope, it's all him" he shrugged, his smile refusing to leave "though, I had already guessed he could do it himself… I just wanted to be there when he actually did."

"Why?"

"Eh… No reason in particular" Sky looked back down at the large eye "something about seeing people genuinely happy just brightens my mood, helps that hardcore side of me stay out _there_ , where it belongs."

Cry wasn't surprised by his reason, yet it brought him back to a memory from long ago. He actually shuddered as he remembered Sky's first fight as an Expert. He had seen it from the Firewall, since he wasn't a fighter quite yet, but he had seen what Sky was capable of in the face of danger.

"Cry?"

Shaking his head, Cry recollected himself as he heard a familiar voice from behind him "get over here, Mark" he said to the newcomer, stepping back as the room began to get crowded. The tall figure of Mark suddenly slipped by to stand right by Jack's head, who was now giggling like a little kid who had just pulled off an ultimate prank "good god you did it" Mark breathed, his eyes larger then Cry had ever seen them before "you actually did it…" he looked at Sky "did you…?"

"Nope! Felix was right, the kid has got some real potential" Sky backed up so Mark could be Jack's sole company, that is, if you excluded the eye "I'll get MatPat" he suggested before walking off, and Cry couldn't help but notice a little cheerful skip in his step as he left.

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	5. Chapter 5

"What do you think?"

Jack stared up at the huge chair that had been built for him, making a total of seven that were lined up in the form of a U, and they were very high up. A platform was built into the curve of the U, smaller chairs circling this platform from solid ground, all of which were in good condition, but none compared to the elegance of the seven chairs that towered over them all. Jack used to sit in one of those smaller chairs, but now Felix had moved him to be with the other Experts almost immediately after hearing the news of his accomplishment.

Each chair had a theme and main color. His new one was an emerald green, blue and black patterns were imprinted on the crystal like substance that the chair was made from. Its top was jaggedly shaped, as if spears were sticking out from within it. It didn't exactly look comfortable, but Jack went to sit in it anyway "I-it's kind of… big" he managed to gasp as getting into the huge chair alone was a hard task, especially for his weakened body "b-but it looks cool" he was eventually successful in sitting down, pleasantly surprised to feel that it was surprisingly comfortable with little to no padding.

"From now on, it's your official place" Mark suddenly broke off from Felixs' side and went to sit in his own chair. Jack had always found it odd how Mark's chair had been built. It was padded with dark red leather, and had red crystals decorating the seams that sowed it all together. The crystals glowed faintly, as each individual piece had a fire blazing from inside it. But overall, it wasn't as complex as some of the other chairs. Jack's gaze traveled to the feet of Mark's chair, which had to be the weirdest part. The chair literally sat on four small wooden boxes, and that was it. Just four tiny, boring, everyday wooden boxes. The only reason they were there was probably because of Mark's own Character, which Jack had to admit was also very weird.

Jack reached into his pocket of his hoodie and pulled out the large eye that he had tucked away in there for easier carrying. They looked at one another for a while, and Jack just couldn't help but grin at the sight of it " _my own Character_ " his heart skipped a beat " _maybe not even my last!"_

"Have you managed to establish the connection yet?" Felix went over to stand by his chair so he could examine the large eye.

"Uh... Not exactly" Jack lifted the eye to his face "but I'm getting some kind of message... I just can't figure out what its saying."

"Just give it time" Mark suddenly chimed in, making Jack look at him. He blinked as he saw a very small cube in his hand, fitting perfectly into his palm "for me, it took a few days... But Tim eventually came through."

" _Tim... What a weird name for a box_ " Jack kept looking at the wooden crate in Mark's hand, just barely seeing two eyes on the surface of it from the great distance between their chairs " _a box with eyes is weird enough as it is...then again, so is a giant septic eye._ "

"Okay, time to put your friends away" Felix suddenly said, hitching a thumb at the chamber entrance "the gathering is about to begin."

Jack sighed, recalling the rule of the chamber in that Characters cause distractions, so they should be sent to the Antechamber before a gathering so everyone could focus. Jack gave a little wave goodbye to the large eye before he let it disappear with a flash of green light.

Only seconds passed and he instantly felt lonely. Felix sat down in his own chair, which was the middle one, giving him a clear view of every single thing. Jack sighed, his view of Mark obscured due to him being on the opposite side of Felix. Not to mention that Felix's chair was gigantic, made entirely of colored glass that reflected light so intensely that it appeared to glow.

Around that time, the other Experts came in and sat down in their own chairs and greeted one another, the other fighters beginning to trickle in after them. Jack suddenly felt oddly intimidated, even though he was sitting so high up. Some of those who came in were glancing up at him from time to time, and some were just flat out staring. He hunched over in his chair, tucking his hands into the pockets of his hoodie, waiting for everyone to arrive so they would stop looking at him and pay attention to Felix instead.

The low murmur of greetings and casual conversation quickly died down as each chair was eventually filled, which Felix took as his signal to stand up and address everyone "the borders are strong and the children live in harmony" he said "let's make sure it stays that way."

Jack had heard this a million times, but not that he was sitting directly next to the man himself, he felt even more intimidated than ever before. Felix could change from cheerful to dead serious in an instant, which was probably was the reason why everyone respected him so greatly… The fact that someone so likeable could maintain order with such confidence was admired and respected among everyone.

"First things first, let us recognize the newest addition to our line of Experts" Felix said, and to Jack's horror, began to gesture in the direction of his green chair "Jack."

As Jack's face went scarlet, there were several whoops from the seated crown below, some cheers and clapping soon followed. It took all of Jack's willpower not to cover his face in embarrassment, although he had to admit, seeing such a positive reaction helped him regain some of his confidence.

"Now, back to business" Felix sat down, and everyone immediately shut up "the Firewall has grown in strength over the past week, yet that is no reason to dismiss the spike in Virus activity… We must adjust our schedules for the time being."

He looked at the Experts "any proposals?"

There was a pause before Vanoss spoke up from his chair, which was as yellow and bright as a setting sun, golden feathers spiking up off the shining surface of the chair, an owl's face engraved into the chair's large headrest "I suggest those who posses speed as an advantage should join every patrol, for ether fighting or escaping to get backup if needed... A runner, you might say."

"Perhaps the addition of a stage five in every group." Ken chimed in from his orange chair, a bearskin lazily draped over its wooden surface, its dead eyes bright orange and seemingly glowing "also, maybe an Expert should be stationed in the outer ring at all times?"

"As secure as that would make us feel, the Virus would take that as a sign of desperation" Cry spoke up from his light blue chair, which was a simple reading chair covered with a soft fabric of some kind "a stage five, as well as a runner, should be enough."

"We should designate official runners… Those who are in the top twenty in the speed section… Do you suggest anyone?"

As Felix said that, Jack expected Mark the say his name, mentally pinching himself as he remembered that he wasn't the average fighter anymore " _this will be difficult to get adjusted to…"_ he thought sullenly as names were given by the other Experts.

The gathering seemed almost like a blur to him, everything going by so awfully slow yet he couldn't focus on anything. He just wanted to play with his new Character, yet he knew that he couldn't. He shook his head " _no, I have to pay attention_ " he thought, straitening his back " _I'm an Expert now… I may not yet know what my game is quite yet, but I'm still an Expert._ "

"What about the wall watches?" Jack stiffened up as Felix suddenly turned to look at him "you've worked on the wall more than most people… Any suggestions?"

Jack's throat tightened, his palms growing sweaty "u-uh…" he took a shaky breath before attempting to recollect his composure "w-with Viruses coming at us more than usual… Why not station… uh… those who can _fly…_ In a secondary watch altogether?" he looked at the other Experts, desperately hoping he was making a good suggestion "watch from air? O-of course their shifts would be shorter since flying can be tiring and stuff but-" He took a breath, struggling to keep his voice level "a periodic look from air… Won't hurt… would it?"

Everyone, including those down below, looked at one another, a low murmur beginning to form as they discussed the proposition. All Jack had done was said a few sentences but he had never been more nervous in his life " _damn it, Felix_ " he thought, biting his lip " _you know I fooking hate being put on the spot!"_

But Jack knew that was exactly why he had done it; to get him out of his comfort zone. He could practically feel Felix's eyes boring into his skull, but he refused to look at him, focusing more on keeping his back strait then what was happening around him " _I stand by my decision… It was a good one…I think…_ " he thought.

"Raise your hand if you posses the ability to legitimately fly."

Jack winced as Mark's voice cut through the quiet murmur like a knife, silencing everyone almost immediately. About one third of the crowd slowly raised their hand, the quiet rustle of clothing and general movement coming from below as they went up.

Jack saw Vanoss participate, as well as Mark himself. Jack half expected Felix to raise his own hand but by now, that would have been redundant "we have many flyers, apparently" Mark looked at Felix "it would be unwise to use them to the best of their ability."

Felix nodded, clasping his hands together "then we shall. Two flyers in the air within the inner ring, and three in the middle ring… none in the outer ring because that would be too dangerous, and would alert the Viruses."

"And the length of these shifts?" Jack had completely forgotten about Sky, who sat back in his pixilated chair, which was an ocean blue, gold lining the seat and backrest "surly they can't keep flying for hours at a time…"

"They don't have to fly at all times… thirty minute long flights with a ten minute break in between, for just an hour." Vanoss gestured to their audience "high level flyers can go for long periods of time by just gliding, so thirty minutes with occasional flapping won't tire anyone out _too_ badly"

"Maybe they should follow the patrols from above?" Ken suggested.

"That would make them a little redundant, don't you think?" Mark leaned forward so he could look at Ken in the eye "have them stay in between, so they get at least some coverage in case of an ambush, but can see more than any patrol."

"I believe a vote is in order."

Everyone turned to look at Felix, who was now beginning to stand up from his seat "all in favor of this temporary flying system please stand."

Jack let out a sigh of relief as practically everyone including the other Experts stood up, he couldn't even see someone who opposed the idea " _it won't always be like this…_ " he bit his lip again as everyone sat down again "then it's settled… Until the Viruses stop acting up, flying patrols will be put into action… And I do believe this gathering is at an end" Felix waved his hand out "but first… Vanoss, will you take control of this operation?"

"Of course."

"You heard him. The first patrols shall go out at the break of dawn tomorrow… Those who are qualified will be summoned to the Owl's Nest before sunrise for their schedule… Dismissed!"

There was a thunder of chairs being shoved back, and soon the room began to grow empty. Jack quickly summoned the eye again, green pixels springing forth from his hand as they eye suddenly sprung forth from thin air, landing with a small _plop_ into his cupped hands.

"Quite a bold statement for your first day."

Jack blinked and looked up to see Mark standing beside his chair, Felix was already gone, as well as everyone else "oh god that was awful!" he found himself blurting out as he saw that they were alone "how do you DO that every week!?" he clutched his chest, making sure not to crush his eye "I could of made a fooking _fool_ of myself!"

"Well you didn't, and I'm proud of you" Mark looked down at the large green eye with a hint of pride in his eyes "and to be honest… You stole my idea."

Jack flinched "o-oh god! Mark I'm-"

"What? Sorry? For what exactly?" Mark suddenly began to ruffle Jack's bright green hair, making him yelp and pull away "O-ow!" Jack rubbed his head as Mark chuckled at his embarrassment "I get attention practically every gathering, I think you deserve some recognition as well!" he gave him a toothy grin, his chocolate brown eyes shining "after all, you became an Expert in just a few years… Which even Felix couldn't do… I think you deserve the spotlight for at least one gathering."

Jack blinked rapidly as Mark began to walk away; flattered that he would give him such a compliment… Then again, he always did emphasize on Jack's major achievement, and sometimes it would get annoying. Yet Mark was right; it was something to be proud of.

He smiled a bit, looking at the eye, his own pupils dilating as something suddenly clicked for him.

"Now… Why don't you and your eye go get some rest?"

"No."

Mark blinked before turning around to look back at Jack, who still hadn't gotten up from his chair "no?" Mark was confused since Jack didn't appear to be frustrated or anything negative at all. It was like he had just gone to correct him, but ether way all of his attention was on the eye in his hands "no, what?"

"Sam" Jack suddenly blurted out.

"Huh?" Mark was utterly confused, since this was quite a sudden departure from their previous conversation.

"His name is Sam."

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	6. Chapter 6

Vanoss watched from his high vantage point as the last of the morning flight patrol leapt from the wall and shot off into the distance with their respective method of flight. He eventually sighed and sat down onto the ledge of the window he had been looking out of " _have faith_ " he reminded himself as he looked around at the tower he was occupying. The "Owl's Nest" was an extremely tall tower from which anyone could see practically everything beyond the wall. The only structure that was taller had to be the central spire that was smack in the middle of the entire city, the huge blue dome that housed the core securely nestled underneath the huge spire, the six supporting legs of the giant tower trapping the dome inside and adding to its protection. It was the only thing that blocked Vanoss's view.

The tower had been called the Owl's Nest because of how often he occupied it. Sometimes he would even sleep up there. While others found it weird, Vanoss thought of it as his second home, someplace where he could be up high and get watch over everything. He had gotten so used to the coldness of the wind long ago, he barely felt it anymore.

Vanoss stared out at the rising sun, blinking as a figure on the wall caught his eye " _Mark_ " he instantly thought. No one else would be up this early unless they were summoned to go on patrol. He debated whether or not to go and talk to him, and eventually decided against it " _I'd rather fly_ " and with that, he jumped from the tower window.

His wings quickly exploded out from yellow pixels, catching the air and jerking him upward so Vanoss wouldn't crash into the buildings below. He pumped his wings up and down, gaining plenty of height so he could pass over the wall without any trouble. He waved back at Mark as he passed him, but could only assume he had seen since he was so high up. The city was far behind him now and soon the land beneath him had turned from smooth and grassy to rough and mostly dirt.

His destination was straight ahead, several jagged mountains that scraped the clouds overhead, someplace where he could be as high as he wanted without bothering anyone. However he didn't make it that far as something caught his eye, something pink.

Vanoss sighed and began to descend, slowing down so he could hit the ground without hurting himself. His shoes hit the dirt and rocks with a thud, something making a similar sound right behind him. He turned around, crossing his arms "hello Mark, I couldn't help but notice you decided to tag along."

"I thought it was better to talk to you out here without any distractions" Mark's peculiar method of flight dissolving away into pink pixels "it's about-"

"Let me guess… You want me to help Jack summon his game Characters" Vanoss sighed, folding his wings against his back "look, Mark, I know you want Jack to have all the help he can get but I'm not helpful in that sense. My games give me weapons, not Characters."

"It's… Actually not about that."

Vanoss blinked, giving Mark a perplexed look "well… Do tell."

"Sky."

He blinked before sighing "no improvement."

"I figured" Mark crossed his arms, looking down with a frown on his face "and that… _side_ … Isn't changing? Even for the worst?"

"Same as always… Now tell me, why are you so curious?"

Mark hesitated before looking back up at Vanoss "he's been hanging around Jack a lot more than usual…"

"Happiness keeps the coldness on the field, where he _should_ keep it."

"I know but-"

"You're not seriously thinking that Sky would just randomly snap and hurt Jack?" Vanoss interrupted, crossing his arms and letting out a heavy sigh "honestly, you worry too much."

"Says the one that's always checking on him like you're anticipating just that" Mark muttered "don't act like you haven't been hovering over his shoulder."

Vanoss frowned at that "I've been doing what Sky himself has requested for me to do."

"Really now? So he doesn't feel secure with himself?"

"That's not what I said."

"That's what you implied."

"Mark-"

" _Vanoss_ -"

"-Ladies, ladies, _please_."

Both of them froze in place as a third voice interrupted them both, making them whirl around to see who had snuck up on them. Mark went stiff and Vanoss could only sigh as they saw Sky standing nearby, leaning all of his weight onto his gigantic sword "please keep it down" he gave them a toothy grin, eyes alight with laughter "the kiddos are _trying_ to focus on patrol!" he laughed as Mark and Vanoss frantically looked behind Sky to see a group of four people standing a little ways away… They had decided to land in what happened to be their scheduled path.

Vanoss cursed to himself, embarrassed to have forgotten about the land patrols he and Mark had both planned out _"I should have recognized this place and landed somewhere else…"_

Mark on the other hand, was worried that Sky would have taken offense to his paranoia, but their friend would give nothing away other than that huge grin of his "sorry for the interruption, we'll get out of your way" Vanoss said as he stepped aside before stretching out his wings and flying off, creating a gust of wind so great it nearly three both Mark's and Sky's glasses right off their faces.

"Now then… I guess we'll be off" Sky slung his sword over his shoulder and walked right by Mark, suddenly leaning in close to him as he passed. Mark thought he was going to get chewed out for doubting him.

"Thanks for the concern" he stilled as Sky whispered to him, his smile still present "I'd appreciate if you kept an eye out for any bad signs as well."

Before Mark could even react, Sky turned to look at the group "come on, pick those feet up! We've got a lot of ground to cover!" he waved them forward, glancing at Mark one final time before walking off, the group beginning to follow.

As the group trudged on by, Mark couldn't decide whether to feel relieved or even more confused than before. He shook his head as if to clear it " _what am I doing?"_ he gritted his teeth and began to walk away, his head hanging " _I should be ashamed of myself, doubting two of my friends like that…"_

Instead of going back to the wall, he walked deeper into the wilderness to where the rough dirt turned into a land of giant boulders, their size and shape varying greatly from one another. Some stood high and intact but others were falling apart and collapsed, creating a hazardous place to take even a leisurely stroll, but Mark went there anyway.

"Chica, here girl."

Upon saying that, there was a flash of red pixels and a large golden retriever dog suddenly burst out to stand by his side, beginning to whine and paw at Mark's leg when it saw his conflicted facial expression. He sat down on a round boulder, letting the dog put its paws up into his lap, beginning to lick his face.

"Good girl…" Mark stroked the bright yellowish white fur that the awfully affectionate dog bore, lying back onto the boulder. The dog lay down with him, her huge head lowering to rest on his chest "do you think he noticed, Chica?" Mark asked aloud, absent minded as he continued to pet the dog "Jack?"

Chica, the dog, seemed to understand what he was saying despite the obvious difference in species and let out a deep and throaty grunt, shifting around to drape a paw over Mark's arm as if she meant to reassure him. Mark felt bad for not believing her "oh Chica... What am I going to do with myself?" He ran his fingers through his hair, looking aimlessly at the sky "I think the lack of adrenaline is beginning to drive me mad."

As Chica went back to licking his face, Mark closed his eyes and focused on the passing wind that toyed with the loose collar of his flannel. The cold was something he didn't like, but once again he was fascinated with how he could feel such a thing, and just wanted to absorb it all.

However he was suddenly torn from his imagination as Chica suddenly sprang up, barking at something off in the distance. And Chica almost never barked. Mark immediately leapt to his feet, whirling around to look at the mountains, quickly discovering what Chica had gotten riled up about. It was more of a scent then a sight "god damn it..." Mark hissed aloud before beginning to run up a boulder that stuck up to the sky _"Chica! To me!"_ He yelled, the dog suddenly erupting into red pixels that blazed after Mark, practically absorbing into his skin as he neared to top of the jagged rock.

With Chica secure, Mark grunted and kept right off the boulder, pink pixels shooting out from right underneath his nose, swiftly curving around to his shoulder blades as the ground rushed up to meet him.

The pink trails leading to his back suddenly swelled, glowing pink as two mustache shaped wings violently burst out, catching Mark just before he hit the ground and rocketing him towards the mountains. It had to be the most unique let alone strange method of flight anyone had ever seen.

As Mark flew over the mountains, the sound of battle could be heard... The sound of a battle being lost. Mark gritted his teeth as he came across a valley in between two of the mountains, surrounded by jagged rocks and dirt, it was almost completely hidden.

Within this secluded area, Mark saw it. It was, it put it simply, absolutely horrible. It's skin a gooey mess, a foul mixture of greens, blacks, reds, and purples. A total of six legs hit the ground in a sluggish walking cycle, leaving the earth behind it stained and scarred, its lax jaws hung open, showing off three rows of jagged fangs that were noting but jet black.

Its enormous eyes immediately locked onto Mark, that sickening orange tint sending a chill down Marks spine. But such a feeling was not foreign to him. It was in his code to feel fear when faced with a Virus. But his fear was overcome by sheer anger at what lay around the beast.

Weapons and Characters alike were scattered across the valley. Some were sprawled out on boulders while others were attempting to fight, but their wounds were holding them back. A total of three fighters struggled to stand in between this monster and the pathway out of the mountains, but it was futile. They were all in stage five; this was a level 13 Virus.

Mark immediately dove downwards, landing in between the fighters and the Virus, kicking up a flurry of dust that sent the Virus stepping back "withdraw you Characters and _run!_ " He yelled back at the exhausted and incredibly relieved fighters, two of them quickly grabbing their third and most injured friend before hobbling away, their Characters quickly bursting into pixels and returning to their owners.

The Virus let out a gargled roar, enraged that it's weakened prey was escaping, but it's advance was halted by a pink wing flashing up in front of its eye "oh no you don't, you ugly fuck" Mark's wing suddenly lashed out, it's seemingly soft and fluffy structure slicing through the muck like a knife, severing one of its six legs right off.

He had to jump back as it lurched forward, regaining balance as its leg suddenly reattached to its body "reconstructing code, huh?" Mark growled, his wings suddenly pressing up against his arms, melting and reshaping to wrap around his arms and hands, creating huge extensions, each one equipped with dangerously sharp talons that glowed like a pink flame "I guess that means I'll have to destroy you extra quick then!"

It roared again, two of its six limbs reaching out to crush him, but Mark surprised it by rushing forward and slashing at its murky chest with his almost beautiful flaming claws, creating a gash that nearly split the creature in half, but he had to leap back as the Virus tried to bite him. The wound quickly vanished, but Mark was already slashing at its back.

He was nothing but a red and pink blur, almost dancing around the beast leaving massive wounds in his wake "not so fun being picked on, isn't it?!" He snapped, dragging his pink claws through the gooey flesh "you should have _never_ attacked my friends!"

It let out an almost pitiful wail as Mark's pink claws nearly cut it clear down the middle, but Mark knew very well that it felt no despair. It was in their code. Viruses couldn't feel anything but anger and the desires that come with it, such as greed, jealousy, envy, hate... The only reason they were trying to destroy their city was because of their programming… their faulty AI.

As the monster crumbled to the ground, Mark continued to land blow after blow, this powerful beast that had just defeated three stage five fighters was now unable to even lift a murky claw against this single man.

As this happened, a single small voice came from up high, too far away for Mark to hear.

"Don't you wanna go help him Sky?"

"Naw" Sky sat back against a rock, putting his hands behind his head as his four friends watched with concern from their spot on the mountain "he's got it under control."

"But..."

"Aw Red, you worry too much" Sky glanced at one of his two red headed friends "it's alright... But now that we've confirmed the cause of disturbance, you should go find those injured fighters" he waved to his four friends "go on, I'll catch up in a bit."

they all hesitated before beginning to climb down from the ledge they had been standing on, making their way down the mountain as Sky continued to watch the clearly one sided fight. He could hear wings beating overhead as Vanoss came from above "I couldn't help but notice the fight" he commented, taking a seat next to Sky "level 13, huh?"

"Not anymore." Sky shrugged as the Virus finally began to dissolve, its gooey body falling limp as its code was destroyed "it's quite odd, that it didn't show up on the radar."

"Must of been a disguised code" Vanoss watched as Mark stopped attacking the now dead Virus, standing back to observe it's body as it dissolved into nothing but dust "maybe that's why the patrol tried to confront it instead of running… Because they thought it was smaller than it actually was."

"That means it had to be really freaking small. But this is a level 13..."

"Their disguises are getting a hell of a lot better."

"No doubt-" Sky froze up for a full five seconds before suddenly slapped himself in the face for no apparent reason, making Vanoss look at him. They both shared no words, but Vanoss knew exactly what was happening "I'll leave you be" Vanoss eventually stood up "take a breather" he advised before jumping off the ledge.

Sky watched as Vanoss flew off, trying to force a smile onto his suddenly frustrated face, trying to think of that big green eye _"happy thoughts... Happy thoughts..."_ He thought, standing up and beginning the trek down the mountain, his smile eventually becoming natural "keep on thinking those happy thoughts~" he sang aloud to himself as he practically skipped down the mountain, waving to his friends, who had found and were now escorting the injured fighters back to the Firewall.

Mark hadn't even noticed the two Experts chatting above him, mostly because his adrenaline was going so fast that he felt far too light headed to focus on anything. It was a bittersweet feeling; his heart was beating so fast it hurt, and his legs were violently shaking, but he had gotten that rare rush. Mark actually laughed aloud before falling back onto the dirt, staring up at the sky with scrunched up eyes "C-Chica! Here girl!" he called out, and his big fluffy friend was suddenly there, licking his face. Mark was defiantly still angry at the Virus, but he was also overcome with satisfaction. He rolled around with Chica like a little kid, laughing like a total idiot as he got covered in dirt.

His laughter rolled out over the mountains to the group below, but it was mostly covered up by the wind. Only Sky, who was only halfway down the mountain at this point, could hear him. And from high up in the air, even a lingering Vanoss could hear Sky laugh along.

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	7. Chapter 7

_The following message shall be present in every chapter from here on out:_

 **I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

"Come on! You can do it!"

Ken watched from afar, leaning against a wall with his arms crossed as both Felix and Sky stood at Jack's side, watching intently as the younger man tried his best to follow their instructions "th-this is a lot fooking harder then I imagined" Jack grunted, holding his hands out in front of him, tiny green pixels floating down from his fingertips "you're still doing really well… Just keep on searching for that connection" Felix repeated for the tenth time. Sky stood there awkwardly, being moral support since Felix was taking control of everything else.

Both Vanoss and Mark were atop the Firewall, giving them a perfect view of the courtyard where the attempted summoning was taking place. It had been quite a while since the level 13 Virus had made its appearance, but Mark still wore that happy grin as he was still exhausted, yet despite that he was still eager to watch the summoning go down. However the courtyard was getting crowded with onlookers from all stages, so in order to get the best view the two flying Experts had gone up high, where they usually felt comfortable.

Ken stifled a laugh as Jack let a really weird sounding yelp, nearly falling back into Sky " _o-ow!_ You never said it would _hurt!"_

"It's only hurting because you're doing it wrong!" Sky pushed him back up into a standing position "you've got to forget your surroundings and focus solely on the connection."

Jack muttered something under his breath and closed his eyes, Ken turning away from the scene to look at an approaching Cry "I guess this is what happens when you try to get a little kid to summon a game Character" the masked man commented, going to stand beside Ken "he's still to young in my opinion."

"It's not our call… Felix sure as hell thinks he's ready and I have to agree with him." Ken shrugged and looked back at Jack "besides, MatPat has his potential readings analyzed, and this game, whatever it is, got some of the highest readings in our history."

"That makes me more worried. He's four years old for Pete's sake."

"Cry, give it a rest. He-"

Ken was cut off as there was a suddenly flash of green light, pixels flying out in all directions and making a few onlookers scream out of surprise. Ken blinked rapidly against the light, flinching as Felix and Sky were suddenly tossed out from the light by some sort of unknown force, Jack still inside.

He barely managed to grab Cry's arm as he tried to go into the light, aiming to interfere "no, wait, I think he's making progress!" Ken pulled Cry back just as a shower of green pixels suddenly exploded outward, almost knocking everyone off of their feet. The light immediately began dying away, revealing Jack.

Everyone froze as Jack was no longer standing. Instead he was lying in the grass, curled up into a ball on his side. Cry broke away from Ken and rushed forward _"Jack!"_ he gasped, proceeding to shake him "are you alright!? Wake up-"

Ken stilled as Cry suddenly stopped talking, falling to his knees and hunching over Jack, his hands going to shift Jack's arms around. Felix and Sky were there in a second, standing over the two with wide eyes. Ken could hear Mark freaking out from above, so he quickly darted forward so he could get a view at Jack before Mark could get down from the wall and run him over.

He let out an audible gasp as he saw what Cry had stopped to examine; Jack had something in his arms, and since he had curled up into a tight ball he couldn't see it until now. He was about to let out a whoop of happiness when something pink and red suddenly shoved him off to the side, sending him flying into Felix and Sky " _Jack! JACK!"_ Mark was in such a panic that he didn't even notice that he had just downed three of his friends, and immediately dove down to kneel beside Cry, looking at what his friend was holding.

As Vanoss came up along with everyone else who had been in the on looking crowd, Ken could hear Mark let out an audible gasp as he saw what they had seen.

Jack was holding a small child of some kind, their skin bright yellow and their eyes and mouth tightly shut. Their hair was a dark brown, and they wore a blue and purple striped shirt "what kind of character is that?" Ken stood up as Vanoss asked the obvious question "it looks like a person."

Jack suddenly jerked awake, startling everyone as his ice blue eyes darted up to look at Mark, his whole body shaking " _Frisk!_ " he choked out, a grin suddenly spreading out across his face.

"Wh-what?" Mark scooted back as Jack suddenly sat upright, the small child in his arms suddenly gaining consciousness as well "fooking _FRISK!_ " Jack practically screamed, his excitement bubbling over "I summoned _FRISK!"_

"Wh…Who?"

"It must be a main Character of sorts" Felix helped Sky and Ken stand up "they are usually the first Characters to appear."

" _Frisk..?_ What a weird name…" Vanoss crossed his arms, looking down at the little kid Jack had summoned. Their eyes were still closed but they were looking around as if it could see just fine "ohmygod it's so fooking cute!" Jack looked the little guy over "look at that cute ass jumper!"

"Uh… Jack? Calm down…" Cry held up his hands as Jack squeezed the little kid tightly against his chest, laughing like a mad man "I did it! _I DID IT!_ " the child remained emotionless as Jack screamed right in its ear "I really AM an Expert!"

"Good god, give the little guy some space to at least breathe!" Cry managed to pry him and the child which Jack had identified as Frisk apart "this is his first time out of your Antechamber, let him adjust."

"He... she… whatever it is, it seems fine" Ken pointed at the little kid, who was still emotionless yet still adorable. It now stood before Jack calmly, but Jack on the other hand was doing the exact opposite " _Felix! Mark!_ Did you SEE that!? He screamed, unable to control his excitement "maybe I can get another!"

"Uh, maybe you should rest-" Felix was cut off as Jack suddenly thrust his hands out, an explosion of green pixels following shortly after "J-Jesus! Jack!" Mark waved the pixels away with both his hands, something white and fluffy in Jack's arms "a… dog?" everyone looked at the tiny white dog that Jack was now frantically examining "aw! I love it!" Jack lashed out his hands once more, green pixels going everywhere "J-Jack! Stop!" Felix called as everyone had to back away for Characters had suddenly swarmed the courtyard.

Ken looked around frantically as Characters both tall and small began surrounding Jack, who was laughing his ass off "isn't this great!?" he yelled to his friends, but no one could hear him over the commotion created by the Characters. They all looked confused, and Ken couldn't blame them.

It took a while but the crowd of Characters eventually stopped growing, and the whole courtyard suddenly went dead silent. Ken blinked "Jack?" he called into the swarm of Characters, each one quickly turning to look at him. Mark began to freak out again "move, please!" he pushed his way through the characters "Jack!" Ken could hear Mark's muffled cry as he eventually found his friend "oh thank god! Don't scare us like that!"

"There are so many…" Ken blinked and turned to look at Cry, the mask he wore providing little to no insight on just how bewildered he actually was "and they all look so strange… what kind of game IS this?"

"Uhh…" Ken looked out at the crowd of Characters, examining all that he could see. They all varied in shape in size, some looking like hybrid animals and others looked straight up bizarre and inhuman "RPG?" he took a wild guess "it looks like Pokémon on drugs!"

Mark suddenly emerged with Jack staggering behind him, clinging to his shoulder as if he was going to collapse any second "are you _trying_ to put yourself back into the medical bay?" Mark helped Jack stand up properly, the Characters peering at him quizzically as Jack didn't even seem to hear Mark's brotherly scolding "ohhh man this is SO cool!" his Irish accent was slurred as he wobbled side to side, his legs quaking beneath him "there are so many of them!"

"Yeah, because you're getting careless! If you're not cautious, you'll be out cold for a week! You've got to put some of them away before you're completely drained!"

Jack winced and went to protest, but Felix suddenly came up and placed a hand onto his shoulder "Mark is right… You can explore your game at a later date. Come on; let's send them back for now."

Jack hesitated before pouting and holding his arms out again. Ken covered his eyes as the Characters suddenly began emitting a green light, dissolving into pixels that quickly flew over to Jack, absorbing into his hands and arms. The force of that alone was enough to send the young man staggering backwards "o-oof! Aw… Now I'm alone!" Jack looked up at Felix "can I keep at least one out?"

"Not a game Character, they take up too much energy. But since your little eye friend isn't, then it wouldn't hurt-" Felix barely had time to finish his sentence for Jack immediately went to summon his eye "he's not just my 'eye friend' he has a _name!_ " Jack pointed out as he thrust the moist ball up at Felix's face the moment it appeared "his name is _Sam!_ "

"Uh, sorry… _Sam_ " Felix hesitantly apologized to the eye, the awkward scene alone causing both Sky and Ken to fall victim to a laughing fit "hush now!" Cry swatted them both over the head "quit being so childish, already" he hissed as the two managed to stifle their snickering, although their expressions didn't change.

Ken looked away from Cry, rubbing the bump that was swelling on his head as he looked at the crowd forming around them. Everyone ether looked bewildered or just genuinely happy. Summoning the first Character was always a moving experience, even if got way out of hand like Jack's. Ken could see Vanoss beginning to wander off, moving towards a group of his friends that he tended to socialize with, and he wasn't the only one to leave. The crowd was breaking apart now; some going on patrol while others just wandered off to do their own thing. With the excitement over, there was no reason to waste time standing around.

Realizing what time of day it was, Ken waved goodbye to the other Experts before leaving as well, making his way over to the opposite side of the wall. Going on such a trek usually took quite a while, considering that the city was awfully dense, the only spacious areas were the training grounds and casual courtyards. Alley ways were usually the only means of getting from one building to the other… Unless you were like Mark and a few others that decided that rooftops were more of a path than anything else.

Ken, for one, was not as enthusiastic about climbing as Mark or any of his other parkour pals; he preferred solid ground, even if it meant taking a few extra minutes to get where he needed to go. He slipped on through a small gateway in the alley he was going down, the sign on it saying the simple phrase "North Gate."

He always thought those sorts of signs needed to be altered, considering that the North Gate wasn't a gate at all. The Firewall had no openings whatsoever, the only way to get in or out was by going over, the North Gate, as well as all the other gates, were just places on the wall where people liked to jump off in means of going in a certain direction.

Eventually, his destination came into view. Another courtyard much like the one he had just left, however this one was directly adjacent to the Firewall itself, a small group forming by the wall. Ken walked up to them "sorry for the delay, are we ready to go over?" He looked at the group, scanning the handful of fighters that were now looking at him.

"There are six of us, so yeah" one of them responded, stepping back as another challenged his statement "no, silly! We're still waiting for our runner! Geez were you even at the gathering?"

"Wow, that's ironic..." A third chimed in, making the other two snicker to themselves. Ken just rolled his eyes, not even attempting to hide his smile "well, in the meantime, we should-"

"I'm here!"

Ken blinked and turned, smiling to see a women walking over to them, a large section of her brown hair being a bright purple "ah, Minx... How nice it is to see you again!" Ken went to shake her hand, which she accepted with glee "thought it was time to take a break from your Daycare duties and fight a bit?"

"A gal needs some exercise once in a while" Minx shrugged "while chasing after babies still in stage one is tiring, you can't get the rush!" She smiled "besides, I need some fresh air. I haven't left in ages!"

"But you're still fast as ever?"

"Don't you know it!" Minx turned to the patrol "shall we go?"

"Of course, over we go!" Ken extended a hand out to one of his patrol mates and let himself be grabbed and dragged up through the air by said fighter, who was one of the many fliers the City had.

"I've almost forgotten how much of a pain the wind is regarding my hair!" Ken heard Minx shout as they went over the wall, curving over to quickly drop down to the other side of the wall.

"Bloody hell, I've also forgotten how intimidating the Firewall was" Minx looked up at the wall when they landed, going to brush her long hair out of her face "those Viruses must really hate us if they want to charge this thing every day."

"I bet half the time they don't even notice it. I've seen quite a few that don't have eyes" one of the older fighters in their patrol spoke up "I think they just attack us because it's in their code."

"That's not unsettling at all" another fighter shuddered as the patrol began moving out into the inner ring "that just implies that they'll never stop-"

"Hush now, don't think those things…" Minx went over to his side, placing a hand on his shoulder "whether they stop or not, we have to stand strong. If we grow weak, it won't matter if they stop one day, since we'll fall before that time comes."

"Hey, the afternoon flight patrol is coming in!" Another fighter suddenly pointed upward, making everyone look up just in time to see something gliding over head and back towards the wall "I can't make out who it is! Oh well…"

"Hey, speaking of flight patrols… Jack suggested those, right? Well… Did anyone see that crazy summoning go down?"

A murmur went up through the patrol, heads nodding in unison "there were so many, I couldn't count them all…"

"Jack must be loopy as all hell now… I don't know whether to envy or to pity him."

"Oh… speaking of which…" one of the younger fighters spoke up as the patrol eventually crossed over into the middle ring, which was slightly more war-torn then the inner ring, evident by the lack of green grass and slightly disturbed ground "Minx… Is it true?"

"Huh?" Minx turned to look at the younger fighter, the patrol as a whole stopping to hear what they wanted to say.

"When you were a newer code, and working at the Daycare full time… Were you really the one looking after Jack?"

The patrol fell silent at that, turning to look at the purple and browned haired women with peaking curiosity. Ken just shrugged at that and continued walking, since he already knew the answer.

"Yes" Minx said "but I didn't really get to know him, if you know what I mean" she continued walking as well "he grew up so fast… One day everything was routine, and then Mark suddenly calls for me one morning and the next thing I know, he's out playing in stage three… Then in stage four…" she shrugged "I still don't see him that often… I doubt he even knows I was the one looking after him."

"Does that frustrate you?"

Ken and Minx stopped dead in their tracks, the younger fighter immediately regretting saying anything at all.

"Of course not" Minx surprised him with a smile "he was only in stage one… I don't even remember my own caretaker from back then. He may be a miracle child but so was Felix, and he can't remember a goddamn thing ether!" she laughed at that "if you could remember things from way back then, you'd probably have MatPat poking at you whenever he could!"

A few laughs arose from the group, Ken himself being one of the sources of which as they continued on. They eventually fell silent as they trekked deeper into the middle ring, stopping as they came to a well worn path of footprints that stretched on for miles, the dirt and dead grass trampled by thousands of previous patrols. Ken squinted off into the distance, raising his hand into the air as they caught sight of another patrol following said path.

As the faraway group signaled back, the younger fighter looked up at Minx once more "why do we even lose those memories?" He blurted out "it sounds kinda... Weird... Don't you think? I mean... We're codes, so can't we just... I don't know... Reprogram ourselves to remember?"

"Our AI is a delicate thing, one wrong move and everything that makes us alive can just vanish" Minx replied "besides, why would we need to? Stage one is just full of playtime and sleeping..."

"And no one remembers any of it?"

"Not that I've heard... The last thing I can remember is meeting Cry and Ken in stage three... Or was it two? Again, it was a while ago" she smiled as the second group neared them, looking exhausted as they had been apparently walking for some time "aren't memories weird?"

"Yeah..." The younger one watched as Ken shook hands with the other patrol leader, exchanging information with each other "but wouldn't it be cool? To remember everything you saw?"

"That would be helpful for some situations" Minx shrugged and waved goodbye to the second patrol as they began walking away towards the wall, passing them as Ken set the pace down the trampled path.

"But again, as far as we know, it's not possible."

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Also, this fanfiction focuses around video game related Youtubers, so Viners and vloggers won't be present here, in case you were wondering. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

Jack peered out from in between the bars of the railing, looking out at the world beyond with wide eyes. The sun was now high in the sky, shedding light on the strikingly beautiful landscape before him "it's so… bright" Jack whispered, looking away to give a nearby Felix a bewildered stare "will we really go out there?"

"The other fighters will. Most defiantly not you, though… Not yet" Felix's sapphire blue eyes were locked onto the scenery, drinking in the glorious sight "you're too little to go out there, it's dangerous… Mark and I will train you how to fight when you get a bit taller."

"When is Mark even coming back?" Jack changed the subject, knowing he couldn't argue with Felix about such a topic "he's been gone for a while…"

"Patrolling the outer ring takes longer then you think. It's a hefty trek, but Mark's a tough guy. That's why I usually send him out there."

Jack looked back out at the world, standing on his tippy-toes in order to get a better look. He frowned as he was still too short to get the best view possible. Jack turned to Felix, reaching up to grab the leg of his pants; barely reaching up to the man's hip since he was so short "I can't see well" he complained "Can I stand on something?"

"Here" Felix suddenly picked Jack up from under his arms and put him down onto his shoulders, ignoring the resulting squeak of surprise.

"D-Dang it Felix! Not you too!" Jack intertwined his fingers into Felix's sandy blond hair, paranoid he would fall even with Felix holding onto his knees "you and Mark gotta stop doing that!"

"Oh don't be such a baby" Felix chucked "one day, you'll be an adrenaline junkie just like the rest of us."

Jack rolled his eyes and looked out at the land once more, blinking rapidly as he saw something draw closer within his peripheral vision. He turned to see that something was flying towards them, nothing but a speck in the distance "hey Felix, what's that?" he released his grip on Felix's hair and pointed out at the oncoming object "is that Mark?" his hopes rose "Mark can fly, right?"

"…"

"Felix?" Jack looked down at the hair he gripped so tightly as the taller man didn't respond right away, his hands suddenly gripping Jack's knees so fiercely that it startled him "F-Felix?" he repeated, growing worried as he felt him begin to back away from the railing.

"Jack" Felix suddenly took him off his shoulders and set him down on the ground "get inside, now."

"H-huh? What-"

" _Get inside!_ " Felix whirled around to look at him dead in the eye, his blue eyes baring a look so emotionally fierce that it made Jack back away out of fright. He had never seen Felix look such a way, it actually scared him to the point of him wanting to leave simply because of that glare alone.

Just as Jack turned to run down the stairs and away from him, there was an earsplitting screech and a hefty gust of wind. Jack had to grab hold of the stairs' railing so he wouldn't fall down them. He stiffened as he heard Felix yelling out of what sounded like pure anger.

Jack hesitantly looked back, his eyes going wide as he saw what that small thing off in the distance actually was.

It had a total of six eyes, all of which were an unsettling orange, its entire body made of some sort of mucus like goo that convulsed every few seconds. It had a dangerous looking beak of sorts that was decorated by a couple rows of pitch black fangs. Two gigantic wings spread out from its murky sides, beating against the air with such ferocity that Jack couldn't even comprehend if they were feathered or not.

Shouting burst out from all around, fighters charging from all along the Firewall to ward off the monstrosity. Jack could only stare in horror as Felix himself charged at it, grabbing hold of its hazardous beak and punching it right in between two of its many eyes, a desperate cry rising up from one of the fighters as sharpened talons grabbed hold of the railing "level 40! Level 40! _We're being attacked by a level 40!_ "

Jack was frozen solid, his heart pounding painfully against his chest as he watched Felix and the other fighters struggle with this bird like creature, a single word imprinting itself onto his fragile mind… Five simple letters that sent nothing but dread throughout Jack.

 _Virus_

"Jack! Get out of here!" Felix yelled back at him, struggling to keep the Virus at bay, even with help from the other fighters "someone! Get him to safety!"

A few fighters turned to look at Jack, their hands going to grab the smaller AI, but before they could a massive tail suddenly whipped up from the Virus's behind, it's spiked and gooey surface gleaming against the sunlight as it lashed out, knocking the fighters that held it down and onto the ground.

"F-Felix!" Jack cried as he saw his friend vanish underneath the tail, that single blow seriously wounding almost everyone, only a few were able to get back up. The Virus, however, quickly began climbing up to fully stand on the wall, its razor sharp talons scraping across the ground as it stalked forward.

It took Jack a few seconds to realize that it was going for him, all six of its eyes staring him down with a seemingly uncontrollable malice. Jack gagged at the smell it let off; it was as if the sludge that covered its unholy body was comprised of pure, rotting flesh. He was too scared to move, his heart pounding uncontrollably. He couldn't even scream, let alone run away as its beak suddenly opened, showing him its sharpened fangs as it drew closer, its talons reaching up to his quivering body, threatening to slice him open.

"Fuck off!" Jack couldn't even react as Felix suddenly appeared, grabbing hold of the beast by the neck and forcing its head down and away from Jack. His eyes blazed with pure anger from behind the curtain of blood that was trickling down his forehead, his teeth gritted as he dragged the Virus away.

Jack watched as Felix ripped the head right off the Virus with his bare hands, spewing an oily black substance everywhere, but mostly onto Jack. In a rage, Felix punted the severed head right over the edge of the firewall before turning to grab the still flailing body, throwing it after the head with a single hand.

Wounded fighters looked up at Felix, equal amounts of pain and respect in their eyes as their leader let out a hefty breath, quickly turning back to see if Jack was alright.

The younger AI looked down at his hands, staring at the black goo that oozed down his body. It was like blood, Jack realized, barley able to hear his own thoughts over the sound of his throbbing heart. He didn't even notice Felix going in to comfort him, mostly because he had began to faint at that point; the last thing he saw was his face going down to fall against Felix's shoulder.

"Jack..? _Jack_!"

Jack awoke with a start, breathing heavily as he grabbed his chest out of panic, where his heart was still pounding. He looked up to see MatPat hovering over him "are you alright?" he asked, worry clouding his eyes "you seemed to be having a nightmare of sorts…"

Jack sat up, blinking as he realized that he was in a bed. It took him a while to remember that he had been moved into a new room, where he now slept alone. Each Expert got their own private chambers, and he could now recall falling asleep here after trying to summon his Characters.

He looked down at himself; half expecting to see the black goo resting against his clothes, only to find that he was perfectly clean. He was no longer small anymore, now he was back to his current height. He shook his head in order to clear it before looking up at MatPat "I-I'm… Fine… Wait… How did you-"

"-Get in here? Don't you remember? Felix had me stay with you."

"Felix?" Jack began to get out of the bed, wincing as he his head began to hurt.

"Well… To be more accurate, Mark was being incredibly paranoid so Felix thought it couldn't hurt."

"Oh…" Jack held his head with one hand, blankly staring at the other with a dull expression on his face.

"Hey, are you okay?" MatPat sat down next to him, blinking rapidly as he saw Jack's sullen face "what's up? You're not usually so down."

Jack looked at him as he realized that now was the perfect time to get answers "I've been having… Weird dreams, lately…" he started "I tried telling you before, when I woke up from the syncing but you know how that went."

"What kind of dreams?" MatPat looked Jack over, as if looking for signs that something else was wrong "were you having one just now?"

"Yeah… They're not usually that bad, though. But the thing is that…" Jack looked down "well… they're not just dreams, MatPat. They're _memories_."

"Memories?" MatPat echoed "are you sure? When did you start having them?"

"A week ago, when Felix first announced that I would be syncing" Jack stopped holding his head so he could look at both of his hands "and that's not it… Sometimes I'll zone out during the day, and I'll just relive those moments…"

"What did you see just now?" The technology enthusiast glanced at the bed they sat on "from the way you were thrashing around in your sleep, it seemed pretty disturbing."

"It was… When that flying level 40 Virus just came out of nowhere… remember?" Jack suddenly frowned "if that were to happen again, I would never freeze up or anything like that… I'd ether run or give it hell, depending on where I was. But back then I… I couldn't move. I had never seen a Virus up until then."

"Interesting…" MatPat scratched his chin, staring at the floor in between his feet "and it started only recently?"

"Yeah."

"And this started happening after you went into the Core?"

"Huh? No. I just said it was back when Felix first brought up the idea."

Jack blinked as MatPat suddenly got a look of utter confusion, as if he wasn't expecting that "are… you sure?" He asked "not after?"

"Uh… No" Jack peered at him through narrowed eyes "why?"

"Er..." MatPat quickly broke their eye contact, turning his gaze to the floor "just making sure, gotta have all the evidence clarified!" he chuckled "one false piece of information and my theory is a bust!"

"Right…" Jack continued looking at him, frowning as something didn't seem quite right. The brown haired theorist refused to return the look, growing noticeably sweaty as he sat under his questioning gaze.

Jack frowned, his eyes wandering over his friend's body as he tried to figure out what was wrong, focusing intently on his posture among other things. He winced as his head suddenly began to throb, the headache from before beginning to seemingly spread throughout his skull.

He didn't look away as a sudden pressure began to build up from behind his eyes, irritating him slightly as it was uncomfortable. By this time, MatPat had turned back to look at him "Jack?" his voice seemed faded, the only thing Jack could focus on was his face.

Jack didn't even notice as his own hands began to rise up from his sides, the pressure behind his eyes building up to the point of being unbearable. He just wanted to cover his eyes, or at least one of them, just to see if it could help.

MatPat suddenly got up from the bed, backing away from him with eyes full of shock. Jack looked at him quizzically, curious as to what was wrong, but the pressure behind his eyes soon reminded him of his discomfort.

Just as one of his hands slid over his left eye, there was a jarring bang from across the room that made both Jack and MatPat jump out of fright. With his eye still covered, Jack looked over to see that the door to his chamber was now open, someone standing right underneath the door frame.

"Hey" Jack could just barely make out Cry's voice through the static that was beginning to engulf his ears "I came to check up on-"

Cry was suddenly silenced as Jack focused on his face with his uncovered eye. It was as if the world around the masked man began to melt away, darkness taking its place as the static Jack once heard was beginning to alter itself, Cry's corrupt and disordered voice coming through to his ears, overlapping and skipping words like a malfunctioning VHS tape. The sound was haunting, and Jack was beginning to see that the mask he wore was beginning to shift around as if it was possessed.

 _"Not sAFe… Too many- ToooOOOo daNGero- FEaR's a TrrrRRaaAAp-"_

Jack wanted to jump up from the bed and run away as the mask began to crack in some areas, neon blue light seeping through the cracks as some sort of clear liquid began to run down the white face cover from the two hastily drawn circles the mask had for eyes.

 _"No, Feli- w-w-w-w-wHHAaAaa-a-att? Wh-wHOOoo- who aRE-"_

Cry had the posture of a cowering child; shrinking away from something invisible as the jarring voice rambled on and on for what felt like hours, the darkness around him almost reaching out to drag the poor man away.

"What's going on?"

Jack gasped as someone suddenly came out from behind Cry, looking at him from over Cry's head, but Jack couldn't even focus on the masked man anymore. All he saw was the newcomer that stared back at him. The moment their gazes met, blood immediately began to leak down their face from somewhere up above, but what had to be the worst thing were his eyes.

Each eye was a deep brown, but the iris was misshapen. They took the form of perfect squares instead of circles, each one filled with a tremendous amount of anger. The glare itself was so horrible that it made Jack shiver violently, hyperventilating as those eyes drew closer and closer to him, and the blood that poured down their face had gotten so abundant that he couldn't even identify their natural skin color anymore.

A snarl grew below his eyes, blood running down into their mouth to redden their teeth as they continued to get closer, nothing but pure malice rolling off them like a sickening scent of sorts. Jack was frozen to the spot, unable to even scream as he felt like he was drowning in that look alone. He felt like he was _dying._

" _Jack!_ "

A wail finally escaped his lips as someone suddenly grabbed the hand that covered his left eye, forcing it from its position so Jack could see with both eyes once more. He collapsed back onto the bed as the static instantly vanished, the darkness slipping away as the room returned to normal.

Jack continued to scream, clutching his chest as he couldn't get the traumatizing image out of his mind. He fought against the hands that tried to subdue him, crying profusely as someone forced his arms down against the bed.

"Jack! Snap out of it!" The voice of MatPat shook him from his phase of terror, his wail coming to an abrupt halt as he locked eyes with the technology enthusiast. They stared at each other for a while as Jack struggled to comprehend what he had just witnessed, daring to look back over to the door out of curiosity as to what had happened to the supposed monster he had seen.

Cry stood by the door, frozen stiff as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. His mask was back to normal, and he was no longer cowering. He was obviously confused, but it was as if the horrible transformation that Jack had seen never even happened.

Jack's eyes trailed upward in order to get a look at the man behind him, expecting to see a beast of some sort, only to have his jaw go lax as he saw a friend instead. Sky stood there with both hands on the door frame, an odd expression on his face as he began to back away.

"I-I'll get help..." Sky's voice was nothing more than a scarce whisper as he disappeared from view, making Cry and MatPat turn to watch him leave. There was a brief moment of awkward silence before they turned back to Jack "what in the world was that?" Cry finally asked.

"I don't know..." MatPat suddenly leaned in really close to his face, his gaze darting from one of his eyes to the other "take a look at this, Cry..."

"Look at what?" Jack's voice was shaky, his hands trembling against MatPat's restraining hold as Cry leaned in to see what had intrigued him. Jack stiffened as he saw Cry immediately back away from him "what in the world?"

Before Jack could ask what was wrong, a thunder of footsteps suddenly erupted from the hall outside his door, coming to an abrupt halt as the approaching company skidded to a stop by the doorway.

No words were exchanged as Felix and Mark rushed into the room to look over Jack, Sky, Vanoss, and Ken staying back in order to give them space "what on earth happened?" Felix stooped down to look at what had sent Cry backing away "what is this?"

"I have no idea; I've never seen anything like it!" MatPat exclaimed, releasing his hold on Jack so Mark had room to lean in and check on his friend "one second, everything is fine, and then... _That_ appears, and he just goes into this sort of trance and..." MatPat trailed off as Mark looked at him expectantly "I... Uh... I don't have enough to work with at the moment..."

"What are you talking about!? What _thing_ appeared!?" Jack snapped, panic beginning to set in "what's _wrong_ with me!?"

Mark and MatPat exchanged a hesitant look as Felix placed a hand onto Jack's shoulder, pulling him up into a sitting position while MatPat took out one of his many mini touch screens and held it up to Jack's face, angling it so the younger AI could see his reflection staring back at him through the screen.

Jack's responding whimper was barely audible as he examined the face which was his own. His right eye, however, was not so familiar. The white of his eye had turned into an almost septic green; the only positive thing about it was that his iris and pupil had been unaffected.

He looked at his face as a whole, shuddering as he noticed the skin around his right eye. The veins that ran up to his ocular sensors were bulging outward ever so slightly, green showing through the skin where the delicate blood tubes pulsed outward. It was as if the 'infection' had spread throughout his bloodstream, turning his bodily fluids green and whatnot.

Jack knew it wasn't a real infection, though. It didn't hurt, and he could see just fine. The headache and pressure from before were now gone, he would of felt perfect if it wasn't for the haunting fear that gripped his chest.

"We'll get you something to ease the pain" MatPat caught him off guard "just lay back down and keep calm-"

"I'm fine" everyone around him flinched as he spoke with a surprisingly strong voice "it doesn't hurt..."

"What? It doesn't?" MatPat felt Jack's forehead "if that's true... What were you screaming about earlier?"

Jack froze, his eyes darting past Mark and Felix to see Sky standing underneath the doorframe, looking at something down the hall rather than at him, where everyone else was looking. His brown eyes flickered to the side, meeting with Jack's own gaze for a split second before he turned and began to walk away without saying a word.

Vanoss quickly noticed his absence and went after him, making everyone else watch him go out of curiosity. Jack didn't notice their reaction, since he was still lost in that short look he had managed to steal of Sky.

He hesitantly looked up at Mark to see that he was still watching the door. His and Sky's eyes had a similar shade of brown, and as of right now, they also had the exact same emotions brewing within.

Fear flashed through his eyes like lightning within a storm of anxiety, his face contorting as the turmoil worsened. Jack didn't know how he could now see such detail in his eyes, but it was intriguing as well as terrifying.

"Jack?"

The young AI flinched and looked back at MatPat as he recalled his previous question "I…I don't know" He lied as he looked back into the reflection of the screen. He had no idea why he should hide what he had seen, but something within his gut told him not to. Something about that look in Sky's eyes had sent shivers down his spine, even though all Jack had seen was fear and paranoia.

"Could it have been a transformation of some kind?" Felix's voice was distant as Jack stared at the green eye that looked back from the screen "come to think of it, that _thing_ … Looks like Sam."

Jack froze up upon hearing that, snapping back to attention as he lifted his arms and summoned the green eye that was Sam. It burst into existence and nestled into the palm of his hand, looking up at him with a peculiar calmness as if nothing was wrong. Jack quickly noticed that Felix was right in that it and his right eye shared a striking resemblance, the only difference being that Sam was the size of a baseball while Jack's eye hadn't changed in size at all.

"If it was a transformation, what kind of advantage would it even provide? And second…" Mark pointed at the eye with a finger, an edge to his voice "is it possible that IT did that?"

"It couldn't have, it's been in Jack's Antechamber the whole time. They need to be summoned to have an interactive effect." MatPat said, looking closer at Jack's right eye "but other than his little fit of screaming… Nothing seems to be wrong."

"I feel fine" Jack reassured Mark as he saw that the Korean man's face had begun to scrunch up in a frown of distrust "I-I'm okay, really…"

Silence followed his words since no one knew what to say. Jack looked up at Felix to see that his blue eyes were traveling across the room, examining everyone that was present excluding Jack. He remained silent until his gaze made his way to MatPat "Ken, stay with Jack" his voice was quiet, eyes narrowed into a look of dead seriousness which Jack had not seen in quite a while "tell us if anything happens… Everyone else, I need a word with you. Privately."

Ken weaved his way through the passing Experts that hesitantly followed Felix out into the hallway. The slamming of the door sending chills up Jack's spine as he and Ken were left alone. Together, they both looked at Sam the eye, who still watched Jack with obvious ease.

"You know, I heard you screaming all the way from the Firewall" Ken's words cut through the silence like a knife as he sat down on the bed, making Jack finch "it's hard to believe that you're now just _fine_ …"

"I am" Jack spoke with a sudden confidence, hoping to trick himself into believing his own lie "yer just… Overreacting…"

"Overreacting?" Ken echoed "Jack, you were _screaming_."

"I got scared" Jack held Sam closer to his chest, relieved that he wasn't _completely_ lying to his friend "my vision went weird for a bit."

Ken was silent for a few seconds before he turned away and sighed "if you insist" he murmured; crossing his arms "but let me know if it goes… _Weird_ … Again, okay?"

"Okay" Jack picked up the screen that MatPat had notably left behind. He stared into his own eye, suddenly getting curious about what he had seen. He closed his eyes, recalling back to Cry's apparent crisis. He remembered the fear and cowardly pose Cry had reflected, his brow furrowing as he examined each detail he had been able to hold onto. If this really _was_ a transformation, this was supposed to be helpful in some way.

Transformations were usually physical, and Jack had never seen a transformation that disabled a fighter before. Vanoss's wings gave him evasiveness and speed, for example. Jack remembered the first time he had seen those yellow, black, and white wings. They had taken his breath away just from their beauty alone, he had envied them at the time, and to be honest he still did.

"To be able to fly like Vanoss or Mark… To go faster than ever before…" Jack began to get sidetracked, smiling a bit as he recalled witnessing Mark's first flying attempt. It had gone horribly wrong the second Mark had tried, which made it all the more memorable. If it hadn't been for Vanoss and Felix, his friend would have quickly become a stain at the base of the Firewall.

"Flying… Vanoss… Wait" his eyes suddenly shot open, his lips parting ever so slightly as his memories suddenly switched over to Sky, when he had slipped away upon making eye contact. At that time, Vanoss had followed him out. But why? They weren't as close as others would be, but even then, Vanoss wasn't the type to just duck away like that. He wouldn't leave an event like this unless he absolutely had to.

Jack looked down at Sam, shivering as he recalled the beast which had been revealed to be Sky _"I saw Cry get scared, and I saw Sky become… That…"_ he thought, eyes widening " _but… That couldn't have been real… Right!?"_ he felt a flutter in his chest " _Vanoss… He went after Sky for a reason… He_ had _to! And Sky looked scared of something… Me? No."_ Jack shook his head _"Himself? That's bonkers!"_

His gaze darted up to look at Ken, who was looking at his own hands as he was lost in thought. Jack felt a strange impulse come over him, making him remember what he had done to activate the trippy visions in the first place. He shifted Sam over to his left hand so he could cover his normal eye with his right, locking onto Ken with his green eye.

The static returned like a wrecking ball, swallowing every one of his senses besides his sight like a black hole as he focused on Ken. The more muscular man almost seemed to be bigger than before even though he was now hunching over as if he was uncomfortable. His fingers twitched rapidly as he slowly clawed at his own arms in a bizarre attempt to scratch at what looked like an annoying itch.

The dark hair of his arms suddenly began to thicken, growing outward into a fur-like coating that began to spread across his body like a mold. Jack would have been scared if he hadn't already seen something like this before. Ken's own transformation was largely noticeable; it gave him strength and defense, although it came with an obvious side effect. His teeth would sharpen, and he would start to grow fur like a bear's. He had control over it, though. It wasn't like he would become a mindless monster, it just looked unsettling.

Jack was quite familiar with his transformation; part of his training required him to fight against Ken in this very form. But what was odd about _this_ was Ken's expression. He looked to be in pain, gritting his sharp teeth together as he continued scratching at the fur on his arm, his eyes glowing orange as the scratching became more and more vigorous as time went on.

He watched the odd scene for a while before he tried to close his eye. It was like it was sealed open, unable to feel anything as he was forced to continue looking at Ken. He began to panic _"am I stuck like this forever?"_ Jack thought, breathing hard as he tried to take his hand off his face.

Something suddenly brushed up against his cheek, which shocked him since he hadn't felt anything else for the entire time. It was warm and soft, almost stroking him with a caring touch _"Sam"_ Jack suddenly realized as he recognized the soft texture of whatever this thing was _"Help me!"_

He had no idea whether he had thought those words or actually said them out loud, but either way, the ocular nerve of Sam suddenly flicked out into view from the corner of his eye. Jack instantly began to focus on it, his gaze on Ken finally being broken.

There was then a rush of feeling, making Jack gasp as he regained control over his hand. The moment it left his face, Ken turned back to normal. The larger man blinked and looked at him as he heard Jack's gasp "what is it?" he asked, getting ready to jump up off the bed if needed.

"N-Nothing!" Jack sputtered, blinking rapidly as he went to hold Sam with both hands "just… Uh… Sam startled me" he forced a smile "he's kinda needy at the moment, aren't ya?" he lifted the eye to his nose "you've been cooped up in my Antechamber for quite a while now, huh?"

Ken continued to look at him for a while before letting out a snort and turning away "right…" He muttered as his suspicion was still present. Jack let out a mental sigh and held the eye closer to himself " _Fooking ale, what was that?"_ he thought, closing his eyes as Sam began to periodically shift around in his hands " _well… Whatever it is, Sam can get me out of it. At least I_ think _that's what happened…"_

It was then when he realized just how exhausted he was, his head beginning to ache horribly, especially around his right eye as he scooted down the bed so he could lie down onto his side. He could hear Ken shifting around to look at him once more, his gaze practically burning a hole into Jack's figure as the younger AI hugged Sam closer to his chest, the exhaustion beginning to take over and drag him into an uneasy sleep. Before he was completely gone, Jack managed to get one last glimpse of Sam, who looked back up at him from the comfort of his embrace.

" _Please… No dreams…"_ Jack closed his eyes, eventually accepting the escape from reality " _no more crazy flash backs, just for once in my life let me relax…"_

 **...**

 **If you're enjoying this story so far, or if you're having a problem with it, let me know via review or PM. I'd like to be aware of any mistakes I could of possibly made so I could then improve my writing and give you all a better reading experience. Thank you for reading, and have a nice day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

"Hey now, don't go running through the Wasteland like that!" Vanoss cupped his hands around his mouth so his voice would echo farther, but even if Sky had heard, he showed no intention of slowing down. Vanoss sighed and went after his friend, climbing up onto one of the many boulders that decorated the stretch of mangled ground that they had given the fitting name of "Wasteland." Crushed rocks and cracked earth were all the Wasteland had to offer, since the pitiful stretch of land was at the foot of one of the many mountains in the outer ring. Many fights took place up near the intimidating peaks, debris coming to rest right where Vanoss and Sky were right now. The ugly sight was a dangerous place, somewhere not many people were even allowed to go due to the threat of falling debris.

Regarding that, it was the perfect place for Sky. Somewhere where he could hide if his emotions got out of control and Vanoss could respect that. Yet as of now, the situation was different, he had to confront him. Vanoss cursed to himself as his nearly twisted his ankle on some loose rock "Sky..." he tried not to raise his voice so Sky wouldn't get any more stressed out "come on, you know we have to talk about this!"

"Oh piss off already!" Sky snapped back from a taller debris pile, not even looking back at Vanoss as he disappeared from sight, presumably climbing down on the other side "just leave me alone!"

Vanoss winced as his voice echoed throughout the Wasteland, making him warily glance up at the mountain in case his shouting had caused an avalanche. Upon seeing nothing of hazard, he sighed and continued climbing "I could fly after him, but that might make him even more frustrated…" Vanoss muttered something under his breath as he made his way through the unfriendly environment "Fucking Christ… I hate walking! Especially here!"

After the incident with Jack, Sky had fled from the safety of the Firewall and into the outer ring. Vanoss had flown after him, struggling to keep up with Sky's frantic running. He had no idea how Sky was able to outrun him for so long, let alone make it all the way out to the Wasteland without resting, but he had fortunately been forced to slow down due to the hazardous terrain.

Sky had a crazy knack for running. He ran all the time, no matter what his mood was he always found joy in it. The only one who could run faster than him was Jack. Yet he only used his running for two things: Fighting and escaping into the outer ring when he got out of control.

" _Sky!_ " Vanoss called again as he rounded the pile just in time to see his friend in the processes of weaving through a series of jagged rocks that stuck out of the ground "you could be over thinking it! It's not like Jack-"

" _He fucking knows!"_ Sky nearly screamed back up at him, actually making Vanoss flinch " _Jack fucking knows!"_

"You don't know that!" Vanoss found himself yelling back in order to compete with his intimidating volume, working his way down the hill of rocks "how could he even possibly know!?"

"You didn't see the way he looked at me!" Sky had stopped trying to escape Vanoss's attempt at comfort and had started to pace back and forth in a violent fashion, occasionally stumbling over the rocks underfoot but he apparently didn't care "his eye may have been green as a fucking emerald but I _still_ saw that fucking _FEAR!_ "

"You need to address this rationally" Vanoss held up his hands up in front of his chest as he slowly approached his pacing friend "we've done all we can to hide this from him, there is no way that-"

"I've let everyone _DOWN!_ " Sky didn't even acknowledge Vanoss's words and grabbed at his own head, his fingers digging in and tugging at his curly hair "Felix and Mark are gonna have me fucking _lynched!_ "

Upon hearing that, Vanoss immediately dropped the comforting act and rushed right up to him, grabbing the front of Sky's shirt and pulling him in so they met eye to eye "now you listen to me, _Butterboy!_ " Vanoss spat the insult out like a viper would its venom. He didn't like resorting to name calling, especially when it was directed towards a friend, but playing mean was the only way for Sky to truly shut up. They looked at each other as Vanoss continued "don't you fucking dare think that Felix would blame you for _this_ …" Vanoss lifted his free hand, jabbing Sky in the chest with his finger "this is _not_ your fault! Whatever happened, happened because life is a fucking bitch! Besides, even if Jack knew, so what!? He's a fucking _Expert_ for fucks sake! He can handle it!"

Sky couldn't recall a time prior to now where Vanoss had cussed as much as he currently was. It shocked him, seeing such intensity in his eyes, but he could only look away in response "yeah right, try telling that to Mark" Sky spat bitterly "he'll resent me until the day he dies, I made a promise, ya know?"

Vanoss fell silent at that, pursing his lips together as he saw Sky's face contorting "not just to him… But to myself… Jack shouldn't be on the derailing train that is my fucking life!" Sky tore free of Vanoss's grip and turned his back to him "I want him to be happy… I want everyone to be happy… Not scared of me!"

"I'm not scared of you" Vanoss tried to get back into Sky's line of sight, but he refused to accept the gesture and avoided looking at him "that's because you can survive against one of my attacks" the words were cold and bitter, almost venomous "Jack sure as hell can't."

"Stop talking about Jack" Vanoss grabbed at his shirt once more in an attempt to meet his gaze "forget about him, forget about Mark and Felix, forget about everyone else in the world and just focus on _me_ for now."

Sky felt his lips curling down into an even bigger frown. His eyes hesitantly flickering to the side to glance at Vanoss. The rather muscular Asian still had a hold on his shirt; his chocolate brown eyes narrowed in a look of utmost seriousness "I made a promise, too" the words came out slowly "I promised to help you get through this, to be there for you, to watch over your emotions. Don't you remember coming to me and asking for just that?"

When he didn't respond right away, Vanoss continued "Sky, I don't care if the whole fucking city finds out, I'm never breaking that promise. _Ever_. I'm here to help you, don't you dare forget that."

"Help me?" Sky's look of frustration began to melt away into a look of what appeared to be exhaustion "Vanoss, I'm a _monster_."

"Says who? Mark? If he said that I'd shoot him right up the ass" Vanoss let go of his shirt and crossed his arms "you're not a monster, Sky. You just have-"

"A mutated code" Sky interrupted.

"Don't you _dare_ say that!" Vanoss took a step forward, "we've told you over and over again that it's not a _mutation!_ "

"Oh yeah, that's right, I'm just _broken!_ " Sky hissed right back "even MatPat agrees, I'm _broken!_ B-R-O-K-E-N!" He spelled out that cruel word, his arms beginning to shake for he was clenching his fists so hard "you know it's true!"

"MatPat didn't word it like that-"

"So what!? The overall message was still the same!"

"Sky, just calm down for one second and _listen_ to me!" Vanoss grabbed Sky by the shoulders "right now, you're giving in, you're freaking out over what could be nothing! Look, maybe Jack knows _something_ is wrong, but he might just blow it off!"

Sky silently glared at him, biting his lower lip as he knew it wasn't likely, but Vanoss continued anyway "and if he doesn't… If he really started asking around, then fine. Whatever. I'll tell him. I'll give him all the information he needs, and I'll let him deal with it."

"Mark's going to roast you alive if you do that!" Sky snapped as he found an opportunity to speak "he's always been Jack's protective "big brother" ever since we first noticed him and nothing will change that! Not now, not ever!"

"You _know_ why Mark treats Jack the way he does" Vanoss's voice suddenly dropped down to a gentle whisper "but… I agree. He won't be happy if I told him."

"So don't!" Sky threw out his hands in order to express his frustration "Don't make this worse!"

"Like I said, I won't unless he directly asks for it."

"You know he's going to" Sky looked down at the ground underneath his feet "and Mark's going to flip his shit when he finds out you spilled the beans."

"You're acting like Mark is our leader. He isn't, Felix is" Vanoss reminded him "and Jack's a smart guy, I'm pretty sure if I asked, he wouldn't talk to Mark about it."

"Mark's got the senses of a freaking wolf, he'll notice something eventually."

"And when that time comes, I'll take the fall for it" Vanoss mentally sighed in relief as Sky seemed to be calming down slightly as evident by his lack of shouting. He still looked frustrated, but his hands had uncurled from the shape of fists and now hung naturally at his sides. Vanoss let go of his shoulders and took a step back in order to give Sky some space "Jack's not a baby anymore. Sure he may still be young but he has the mind of an adult even if it's not obvious sometimes."

Sky peered at him though narrowed eyes before sighing and turning away "fine, go ahead" he went to go sit on a relatively smooth rock, resting his elbows on his knees "but… Don't lie and say he shouldn't be afraid of it."

Vanoss frowned at that "not everyone has to be scared of you."

"They should" Sky's lips suddenly curled up into a snarl "I know I am."

There was a brief moment of silence before Vanoss reached down to lightly touch his shoulder "think happy thoughts" he whispered "think of Jack's crazy summoning and of your own Characters… Take as long as you need."

There was a slight shift in Sky's facial expression, his snarl suddenly twitching upward into what looked like a brief smile. Vanoss let his gaze linger for a bit before he turned and began walking away, his wings bursting out from yellow pixels as soon as he was sure he wouldn't hit Sky with them. He glanced back at the conflicted AI before jumping off a nearby rock and catching the air with his wings.

The Wasteland immediately began to shrink in size for him as he beat at the air, gaining height so he could avoid any obstacles taller than his previous altitude. Vanoss glanced down at Sky one final time before he headed back to the Firewall. Sky would be fine in the outer ring since he was an Expert with powerful characters, but that wasn't what Vanoss was worried about as he flew away.

"Mark's going to be fucking _pissed_ "


	10. Chapter 10

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

The whole room was quiet, the wind oddly still as night crept over the city. Mark noticed that Jack had a pretty good view of the sunset from his chamber window, and decided to focus on that rather than his sleeping friend, whose breathing was the only indication that he was even alive. Mark had replaced Ken's position of a guard immediately after Felix had released him from the little meeting they had. Jack slept soundly, unmoving and quite peaceful looking, which was rather odd regarding what had just happened to him.

Mark stared at the sinking ball of plasma from the chair he sat in, frowning as he contemplated what Felix had told him earlier, his words still echoing clear in his mind.

"Until we know more, we need to treat this not as a transformation, but a problem regarding Jack's health. His movements should be limited, and we should proceed with the necessary tests for MatPat's research. Unless it's proven otherwise, we can assume that summoning a Character doesn't affect Jack negatively since he summoned Sam without any strain. Sky and I will continue training him on how to use his Characters while he's stuck in bed. There's no reason to let the time go to waste. Someone should be watching over him at all times, it doesn't matter if it's an Expert or not, I don't want him to be left alone."

Mark sighed and looked down at his hands. He arched his fingers, allowing a few red pixels to spark up and glow. He turned away from Jack so the following flash of red light wouldn't disturb his sleep. Mark glanced back at the younger AI before looking down at the tiny box he had summoned.

"Jesus Christ… Tim, what am I going to do?" Mark whispered aloud to the box, looking into the blue eyes that adorned its wooden surface "I'm trying as hard as I can to make it easier for him but…" he stopped and closed his eyes, bringing the box closer so it lightly brushed up against his forehead "god, I wish I could ask for your advice…" his voice was barely audible, his brown eyes flickering open to see that the sentient box looked equally depressed.

Mark cradled the box in the palm of his left hand so he could summon someone else with his right. Chica sprang forth from the red pixels, her nose going to brush up against Mark's free hand. He stared down at them both, a lump forming in his throat as he looked back and forth between the two.

It felt like insidious claws were dragging his hope down by its metaphorical foot, taking away every bit of optimism Mark had left. He silently tucked the box into the crook of his arm and took hold of Chica's head with both hands, his thumbs gently caressing her furry cheeks as she flicked her tongue out in order to lick his wrists. The tiny box Mark now had tucked against his body was shifting around, small noodle like arms coming out from two of its six sides so it could grab onto Mark and pull itself closer to him.

Mark felt like crying, his breath gradually becoming shaky as time passed "oh god… I wish I could talk to you…" he shuddered, letting Chica lick away the tears that followed shortly after he said that "just to hear your voice, if only once…"

"M-Mark?"

Mark snapped into focus, whirling around to see a rather sleepy and absentminded Jack sitting up in his bed, Sam the eye resting in his arms "that you?" he mumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

Taking Jack's inability to notice his previous crying as a blessing, Mark immediately wiped the tears out of his eyes and stood up "yeah, it's me" he forced his voice to be steady as he walked over to stand beside him, keeping the box in one hand as Chica went to put her large paws up onto the bed, thrusting her snout up to a tired Jack.

There was a delayed chuckle from Jack as he reached forward to pet Chica's head, keeping Sam away from her huge paws so he wouldn't get squished "good morning Chica" he slurred, obviously out of it as he looked out at the sunset, thinking it was the opposite.

"You're looking west, Jack" Mark stifled a laugh as the sleepy Irishman struggled to comprehend what he was seeing "you've been asleep for more than a full day."

"Yer pulling my leg!" Jack loudly yawned and rubbed his eyes once more "if that's the case, why am I still tired!?"

"I don't know" it was then that Mark realized that Jack's right eye was no longer septic. He leaned in over an affection-hungry Chica so he could get a better look. The green veins around his eye had faded from view, and his eye was a pearly white just like the left one. He looked perfectly healthy, but paranoia still clung to his mind.

"Felix put you on bed rest" Mark quickly said as Jack went to get up "there won't be any moving from you for a while."

"Whhhaaaaat!?" Mark stifled a laugh as Jack's reaction was incredibly predictable "oh come on! I'll get all weak!" he held his arms out for dramatic effect "my stamina will plummet!"

"Felix's orders… Besides, he's gonna be giving you summoning practices along with Sky, so you won't die of boredom!"

"Ugh, but _still!_ " Jack flopped back down onto the bed, Sam falling to rest on his chest "I feel _fine!_ "

"Yeah, well we're not taking any chances!" Mark found himself smiling as he realized just how casually they were talking to one another, just like they had before the syncing had ever taken place. Mark suddenly yearned for those days, back when Jack was a mere fighter who attacked using only his speed and some basic combat skills. Back when the thought of Characters was nothing but just that: a thought.

Jack was only going to continue growing from here on, that was obvious. He had gotten so many Characters in just one day, and he still had yet to figure out what weapons he could now summon.

Mark looked down at his feet, a morbid thought creeping up his spine as Jack began to play with Chica and Sam, beginning to ignore him, to his relief.

He looked down at the small box in his hand, which looked back up at him almost knowingly, even if they couldn't share any words. Mark pursed his lips together, flinching as it dawned on him that his hands had begun to shake.

"Mark?"

The red haired Korean man looked up, thinking it was Jack that had spoken, but soon spun around on his heels as he realized that the voice had come from the door. Vanoss's face poked in from the hallway "Felix wants me to take your place" he slid fully into view "he claims you've been here all day."

"I can handle it" Mark responded confidently, smiling in means of covering up his dark thoughts.

"Yeah, but you're needed for other things… Like setting patrol paths and going out there yourself" Vanoss said simply, his arms crossing as he leaned against the doorframe "I'm sorry Mark, but you can't just neglect your other duties."

Mark bit back a protest as he quickly realized that his avian themed friend was correct in that notion. He glanced back at Jack before nodding almost to himself "Chica, here girl" he said, waving goodbye to Jack as Chica leapt off the bed and trotted after him "see you later, Jack-a-boy!" he let Vanoss walk into the room before slipping out into the hallway. He stayed by the doorframe, out of sight as he listened to Jack and Vanoss greet one another.

The sudden weight of exhaustion suddenly dawned on him, making him lean against the wall for support. He shook his head in an attempt to clear it as he walked down the hall. Chica let out an audible whine and brushed up against his leg as they made their way back to Mark's own chambers.

Mark looked down at the golden retriever, and then at the box in his hands "I'm fine…" he murmured, almost to himself as he let them go back to his Antechamber. They absorbed back into his body in the form of red pixels, leaving him to walk alone. That morbid thought of his crept back into his mind, turning his blood cold and making him clench his hands into fists.

"No." He thought determinedly "I absolutely refuse to get jealous!"


	11. Chapter 11

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

By now, the sunset was long gone, only the light of the stars and moon was left to illuminate the room. Vanoss was staring out the window, seated in the chair that Mark once occupied. His brown eyes and short black hair were silver in the light, his face almost emotionless in the bright glow.

Jack watched Vanoss with a strange sense of curiosity. While they were indeed friends, Jack never really talked to him all that much. Vanoss tended to socialize with his own group of friends, and the only time they really interacted was ether out on patrol or if they happened to run into each other while on the Firewall.

Even though they never really talked, Jack knew _some_ things about Vanoss… One little factoid being that the Asian man was a sucker for the scenery that nature provided, much like Mark, but Vanoss took joy in actually _being_ in it rather than just looking at it. He flew out beyond the Firewall several times a day, and took more patrols than anyone else.

Jack actually found entertainment in watching him fly, since it was quite beautiful in a way, even if he was usually a speck in the distance. Just as Jack let himself be absorbed by the memory of such, he was suddenly brought back from the depth of his thoughts by a flash of yellow pixels and the sudden disappearance of the bed sheets that covered him.

"Whoops, sorry" Vanoss quickly got up and picked the covers up from the floor, tucking his wings in tightly against his back so they wouldn't knock anything else over. That was another thing Jack had noticed: the fact that Vanoss didn't have the best control over his transformation. He could summon it just fine, and could keep it out for as long as he needed, but suppressing it was difficult. MatPat once told Jack that Vanoss had a subconscious urge to be 'free' or something along the lines of that. Transformations usually depended on two variables: will and emotion. Anyone could summon a transformation at will, but emotions could be hard to handle. For example, Ken would undergo a transformation if he got too angry, and Sky could also do the same regarding that same emotion… This tended to happen a lot out during a fight for some reason.

Just thinking of Sky made Jack's heart lurch, his memory kicking up to the horrible vision he had witnessed of the usually smiling and goofy Expert. Jack suppressed his curiosity as hard as he could as Vanoss handed the bed sheets back to him, but his mind was whirling out of control. He was barely aware of himself thanking Vanoss and covering his body once more.

Vanoss was unaware of the sudden turmoil of emotion within Jack and sat back down, making sure his beautiful wings didn't hit anything else on the way. He didn't even bother to put them away as he saw no other hazard and continued to look out the window. Another thing admirable about Vanoss was his ability to not give a damn about looking weird. Most of the time he took enormous pride in it.

Jack tried to ignore the curiosity and focused on his wings. He hated feeling envious but right now he needed a distraction. God they were beautiful. The yellow of them turning silver in the moonlight as well as giving Jack the illusion that they were _glowing._ At that moment, Vanoss looked like a fallen angel.

" _And here I was, giving Mark a hard time about being whimsical over the silliest of things_ " Jack tore his gaze away from the wings and focused on Sam, who was wiggling around in the palm of his hand " _but god… It must be the best thing in the world…_ " he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before looking back up at Vanoss "hey, can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Vanoss turned to look at him, blinking rapidly as he saw Jack struggling to continue.

"Th-This might sound weird but… Can… Can I touch one of your wings?"

Jack wasn't even sure if Vanoss had ever been asked that before, and his uncertainty increased as the Asian's expression turned odd, as if he wasn't expecting or even comfortable with that. However, The weird look quickly vanished, and Vanoss became calm once more "yeah, sure" he said nonchalantly as if nothing was weird about it and lifted one of his wings, stretching it out to Jack.

Vanoss's wings were huge with a sixteen feet wingspan; He didn't even need to get up from his seat in order for Jack to be able to touch the feathers without moving himself. They weren't as soft and downy as Jack was expecting; they were tougher, yet still silky smooth. Jack stopped touching his primary feathers and went up to feel the bone and muscle underneath. It was warm and tough… Just fascinating, and Jack would have loved to keep on feeling it, but he knew this was probably getting awkward for the both of them.

"S-Sorry…" Jack squeaked, letting go of the wing so Vanoss could pull it away "u-uh… I was just…"

"Don't worry about it" Vanoss folded his wings halfway so they didn't take up as much room "it wasn't _too_ weird"

"H-hey… Uh…" Jack bit his lip, trying to change the topic in an attempt of moving on from what just happened "d-do you have any non-videogame Characters?"

"You're asking a lot of questions" Vanoss commented, making Jack flinch "but yeah, I do."

Jack covered his eyes as Vanoss lifted his arm, a bright flash of yellow pixels following soon after. Jack lowered his hands, eyes widening to see something resting on Vanoss's extended arm. He was aware that Vanoss actually had a Character, but he had never gotten around to asking what it was up until now.

Jack _knew_ he should have expected to see something along the lines of a giant fucking great horned owl resting on his arm, it's feathers the exact same color of Vanoss's wings with yellow feathers making up its main body. Jack actually felt intimidated as its giant yellow eyes stared at him from the shadows of Vanoss's much larger wings.

"I don't usually let him out indoors" Vanoss had started talking, but Jack was hardly listening to him anymore due to shock "he doesn't like enclosed spaces."

"Does he have a name?" Jack squeaked, shrinking away as the owl suddenly flexed out its wings in means of stretching them, a few feathers falling free and onto the ground "of course" Vanoss lifted his free arm so he could pet the owl with the back of his hand "Hoodini."

"That's… Uh… Weird name…" Jack commented "n-not that it's bad, or anything!" He gave a nervous laugh before tearing his eyes away from the owl named Hoodini and focusing on Vanoss once more "I… I don't usually see him around, though…"

"That's his skill" Vanoss actually smiled a bit, a flash of pride reflecting off his eyes "Hoodini specializes in stealth and ambush attacks. The reason you never see him is because he's practicing… That and he just prefers not to be seen" Vanoss stopped petting Hoodini and looked back at Jack "he also follows me during patrols, again, staying out of sight. He's my extra set of eyes."

Jack blinked rapidly "Is that why you're so good at maneuvering?" he asked, recalling back to the times when he had witnessed Vanoss fight "how you can easily avoid stuff?"

"That's part of the reason, yes. Our connection is so strong that we can share each other's vision… But I'm surprised you didn't know that already."

" Well… You… Never really talk about him."

"He just never comes up" Vanoss glanced back at the owl, who quickly returned the look "he's a very secretive bird."

"No kidding" Jack snorted, looking down at the eye in his hands. It was then that he remembered his curiosity, making him grit his teeth " _I was hoping some conversation would distract me… It's not…_ " he frowned and looked back up at Vanoss as he recalled the words Felix had spoken back when they first discovered his seemingly infected eye:

 _"Could it have been a transformation of some kind?"_

Jack held Sam closer to himself, pursing his lips together as he closed his eyes " _if it's a transformation…_ " he thought, focusing as hard as he could on his eye " _then maybe I can…_ "

"Jack? What are you doing?"

Jack jerked his eyes open to see Vanoss was staring at him, but something was wrong with him, so very wrong. Jack screamed as Vanoss's eyes had turned an unnatural yellow, becoming parallel with Hoodini's own large eyes " _shit! Shit! I brought it back! I actually did it! Fook that looks weird!_ " Jack couldn't decide whether to feel proud of himself or immensely regretful that he had brought the green eye back to his face.

They stared at each other for a while, Jack beginning to shake as they look he was giving them was almost haunting. He felt exposed, violated; it made him want to look away, to close his eyes. In a panic, that's what he actually did. He squeezed his eyes shut and curled up into a ball in desperation for Vanoss to stop looking at him.

That's when Jack blinked open his eyes out of confusion " _wait… Why am I seeing this? I'm not covering my normal eye… and… I broke eye contact so_ easily _…"_ He looked back at Vanoss to see that his eyes were still yellow, making his jaw go slack " _this… This isn't a vision? This is real!?_ "

Vanoss blinked rapidly upon seeing his shock, as if he was confused. Then he shook his head, squeezing his yellow eyes shut for a brief moment before reopening them to reveal that his eyes had turned back to their natural brown "sorry, did that scare you?" he asked almost casually, the owl on his arm keeping its iron gaze on Jack "that's another one of my skills, and I keep forgetting that it looks so odd."

"W-What was that!?" Jack nearly screeched "that looked just as weird as _my_ fooking eye!"

"It's another transformation of mine: _Owl's Eyes_ " Vanoss suddenly stood up, letting Hoodini step off his arm and rest on the windowsill "it functions both as night vision and… Something else."

"Something else?" Jack echoed, his voice shaky.

"I can sense… No… That's the wrong word. I can _see_ when something's not right; when something or someone has conflict within them. Of course, I can't just identify what it is just by looking at them… But when I have those eyes, spotting turmoil or dysfunction isn't hard when you're able to examine every detail of a scene as fast as lightning."

Jack went ridged, gulping as he realized what that meant. Vanoss was now peering at him through narrowed eyes "I should have noticed that before… I'll admit, when I first came in here my mind was somewhere else… But there's clearly something you're not telling me."

Guilt began to cloud his mind, making Jack look down at Sam out of shame. Vanoss was good at making people admit to their mistakes, he had seen him do it several times before. Jack wanted to keep the visions a secret, he still didn't know why, but now that Vanoss was aware of the discord within him he knew he couldn't keep it bottled up anymore.

"I-I'm _seeing_ things" Jack found himself sputtering as he looked back up at Vanoss "like, really, really weird things!"

The suspicion in Vanoss's eyes suddenly lessoned as he went to sit on the bed by Jack's feet "what kind of things?" he asked quietly, obviously curious "can you tell me about them?"

"Wh-when I cover up my… Uh… _Normal_ eye and I look at someone with my septic eye… I… I see something weird…" Jack shuddered at the memory "When I looked at Cry like that… He… _Changed!_ " he threw his arms out to the side, making sure not to send Sam flying "he got all cowardly and stuff and his mask got all weird looking and then… Then…"

He saw Vanoss stiffen as he continued "Sky…" he squeaked "he… he turned into a fooking _monster!_ Blood started to run down his face and his eyes were… were… so _angry!_ " he violently shivered at the thought "I felt like… I was going to _die!_ "

Jack searched Vanoss's face in desperation to figure out what he was thinking. The Asian man's face was contorted as if he wasn't happy about what he had heard, but his disapproval didn't seem to be directed towards Jack. His gaze was to the floor in between his feet.

"V-Vanoss?" Jack leaned towards him ever so slightly "a-are you…?"

"You said he looked… Enraged?"

Jack was caught off guard by that "yeah… really… _really_ angry…"

Vanoss surprised him with a sigh "I figured…" he shook his head hopelessly.

"What? Vanoss-" Jack stopped himself as he recalled the memory he had of Sky running away from him… How Vanoss had followed close behind. Even now, he didn't seem surprised at what he was hearing "do you know something?" he found himself blurting out, frantically going to cover his mouth as he realized what he had just said.

Vanoss glanced at him, eyes narrowed for a split second before they relaxed into a look of calmness. He sat upright, looking at Jack directly "maybe I do, maybe I don't… That's for you to find out" Vanoss said evenly "so why don't you?"

"Huh?"

"What you said just now proves what Felix and MatPat assumed from the start: this is a transformation" Vanoss leaned towards Jack "learn how to use it, tell me what I'm hiding."

"Uh… _Excuse_ me!?"

"Surly you at least have a guess at what your eye can do?" Vanoss crossed his arms "go ahead, summon the eye and figure out what's wrong with me."

Jack stared at him, unable to decide whether to feel relieved or even more confused than before " _he's telling me to bring it back? To use it?_ " Jack shuddered " _what would I even see from him?_ "

He thought about it for a moment before squeezing his eyes shut, holding Sam up to his forehead " _if it's a transformation… It's not bad… Vanoss is confidant, so… I guess there's nothing else to do but try!_ "

There was a sudden discomfort behind his eye, making Jack flinch. It wasn't unbearable, like the first time, but the pressure was beginning to build. Jack reopened his eyes, and while he didn't have a reflection to look into, Vanoss's approving reaction gave him all the proof he needed to conclude that the eye was indeed back.

With a shaky hand, Jack quickly covered his normal eye, making sure Sam was secure in his other hand. The static soon engulfed him, and darkness swelled up from behind Vanoss. The moonlight vanished, casting Vanoss in shadow for a brief moment. In just a few seconds, a yellow light began to seep out from Vanoss's eyes, illuminating his figure from the darkness that had fallen onto him.

Jack sucked in a breath as the light revealed that something was most certainly wrong. Vanoss may of looked as calm as ever, but what was happening to him was the complete opposite. Two hands were reaching out from somewhere behind him. Each one clearly belonged to two separate individuals regarding what they looked like. One was the color blue, brightly glowing pixels falling off like dandruff as its fingers draped over Vanoss's shoulder, almost for support. The gesture seemed innocent enough but the second hand was far less gentle.

It was a fiery red, flames practically burning along its surface as it forcefully clamped down over Vanoss's mouth. The fire didn't seem to be burning Vanoss, but he sure looked annoyed. His glowing yellow eyes looked down at the hand which covered his mouth. Jack could head a muffled voice of some kind, but it wasn't panicky as you would expect. His hand suddenly shot up and grabbed at the red one, almost trying to pull it off its face. His wings began to beat furiously, sending large gusts of wind directly at Jack's face, making his eye water. He was obviously struggling, and at the same time his other hand went to grab hold of the blue one as well, but this gesture was different.

It was then that Jack realized that the blue hand was trying to let go, but Vanoss wouldn't let it. Jack was so confused at the odd scene; he was trying to do two completely opposite actions at once. Vanoss's eyes were glowing almost violently, both of the yellow irises suddenly locking onto Jack with a look of solid determination. The muffled voice continued on and on, but the hand refused to let Jack hear any of it. Vanoss was practically yelling through the hand now, still looking at him.

" _Sam, get me out of here!_ " He thought as he was unable to look away by himself. Sam's ocular nerve flicked into view almost immediately, and Jack was able to focus on that and look away. He closed both of his eyes and let his hand fall from his face, already exhausted for some reason.

He took a moment to even his breathing before looking up at a mildly concerned Vanoss. The moonlight was back, and his eyes no longer glowed. Jack stared at him for a while, his mouth falling open as he searched for the words he needed to say.

"Is…" he began, stopping to steady his voice as it cracked "i-is someone… Trying to keep you quiet?"

Jack flinched away as Vanoss actually leapt up from the bed at that. He looked shocked, his mouth falling agape for a split second before he turned away from Jack, who was confused as all hell since he had never seem Vanoss act like this before.

"Yes…" he spoke after a long period of silence, his voice quiet as he eventually glanced back at Jack "yes, someone is… And I'll tell you why, if you describe everything you saw."

Jack felt like the hefty weight of dread was just laid onto his shoulders, but he continued on anyway "there was… Someone was covering your mouth!" he blurted out "you were trying to talk to me but they wouldn't let you and… There was this other person… You wouldn't let them leave…"

Vanoss snorted at that "that's quite specific" he quietly murmured before turning back to him and sitting on the bed once more "I'm starting to figure out what you can do" he looked at Jack through narrowed eyes "it's not mind reading or anything… I'm starting to believe that your eye allows you to see past the outside dimension."

"Huh?" Jack rapidly blinked "what does that even mean?"

"We're AI; we have emotions, dreams, aspirations, memories, strengths, fears… We're not one dimensional, but even then, most of our emotions are hidden within us… By our avatars" Vanoss poked Jack in the chest "we can camouflage our discomforts or any internal problems we have by faking a smile or whatever… Regarding that, you still saw what I had managed to hide from you for as long as I've known you."

The weight of that revelation made Jack shudder, holding Sam closer to himself "my eye… Can show me someone's secrets?" he squeaked, suddenly feeling rather dirty. He had basically violated everyone he had looked at "that's… Horrible…"

"Maybe so… But it's apparently true" Vanoss sighed and turned away "I'm sorry you had to see those things."

"You're talking about Sky, aren't you?" Jack scooted closer to Vanoss as he saw that his superior wasn't telling him everything "is that the thing that you can't talk about?"

"It used to be… Today is the day that changes" Vanoss suddenly frowned "the funny thing is, Felix never directly ordered me to hide this from you, I was just doing someone else a favor by keeping my mouth shut, and you probably know how much I hate breaking promises... Well…"

"G-Go on…"

"…You're not a little kid anymore… At least I hope so, I can never tell with your hyper drive attitude" Vanoss looked down, both Hoodini and his wings suddenly disappearing in a flash of yellow pixels "you can handle this truth, I'm sure of it…"

"God damn it! Stop beating around the bush and fooking _tell me!_ " Jack abruptly interrupted, slamming a fist down onto the bed out of pure frustration "Yer driving me crazy! _What is it!?_ "

Vanoss got a look of mild frustration, but he quickly suppressed it "Jack, you _must_ understand something" his voice suddenly dropped down to a whisper "no matter what I tell you now… You have to promise me you won't tell Mark."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it! I'll explain afterwards. But please, it will make this a whole lot easier for everyone involved!"

"Okay! Okay! I promise!" Jack eagerly leaned in "now please tell me!"

Vanoss looked at him for a brief moment before taking a breath "you know Sky as the goofy child like AI stuck in a large avatar. He's almost as loud and hyper as you are, I'm sure you've noticed that… Well…" Vanoss looked down "in all honesty, he still is that person. He's been like that all his life… But… God this is so difficult to say" Vanoss muttered almost to himself, glaring at the floor in between his feet "ever since he was little, he's had… Issues… Nothing major and it never really caused _too_ much trouble."

"What was it?" Jack scooted even closer.

"MatPat refers to it as being 'bipolar' meaning his emotions can switch in an instant… At first we paid no mind to it, since these little 'switches' usually didn't do any harm. Plus, with help, he was able to avoid them altogether… for the most part."

"Wh-Why was he like that?" Jack asked out of curiosity, tilting his head to the side "did his code get damaged when he was little?"

"No. He was just born like that. Again, it wasn't a big problem, and even _I_ didn't even notice it until Felix pointed it out to me after I had already met him a couple of times…" Vanoss suddenly got a look of utter depression onto his face, as if he was recalling a bad memory "he was growing fast. Not as fast as you, but still pretty fast. Everything was going good for him; his potential was going off the charts…" Vanoss seemed almost whimsical in a way, staring down at the floor "but then… _It_ happened."

"What happened?" Jack began to get nervous as Vanoss looked away, sighing heavily.

"…Sky went out with one of his friends… They walked all the way to the outer ring by themselves in means of exploring."

"What!?" Jack was astonished, mouth falling open "but that's strictly prohibited! Two people can't go all the way out there alone unless they're an Expert!"

"Why do you think Felix made that rule in the first place?" Vanoss suddenly growled, making Jack flinch away "it was the first thing he did after _this incident._ "

"Then… This was before I was born?"

"No. You were alive; you just weren't noticed by Mark and Felix until way later" Jack saw Vanoss's hands curl up into fists "but back to the story… They went towards the mountains, and they didn't come back for a whole day… Literally" Vanoss's eyes narrowed "we soon noticed that they had been gone for quite some time, so we sent out a search party… It took us another full day just to find them in the big world… I was in the group that made the… Discovery."

The emotion in Vanoss's eyes suddenly grew dull in a way, seemingly distant as he recalled back to that one event "I still remember his face…" he whispered so quietly that Jack had to lean in even farther just to make out his words "that face still haunts me to this day." He looked straight at Jack, more serious than ever before "He was soaked in blood… drenched in it… His friend literally draped over his shoulders like a scarf. His friend was unconscious, but Sky was awake… Very, very awake. His eyes were as large as the sun, and they were just… Unholy in a way… Haunting… But he had carried his friend out of the mountains, by foot, and had managed to walk several miles without rest… They had made it into the middle ring by the time we saw them, leaving a long line of bloody footprints in their wake."

Jack had gone still as a stone, eyes almost bulging out of his skull. He immediately recalled back to the vision he had, how blood had run down Sky's face like a river. He gripped Sam tightly, holding him closer than ever before "th-then what happened?" he barely managed to squeak out of fear.

"We brought them back as fast as we could… His friend had taken quite a beating, but Sky was just…" Vanoss's voice trailed off, his eyes leaving Jack and going down to look at his own hands "he had a serious head wound, hence all of the blood…" he eventually found his voice again "both he and his friend couldn't remember a thing. Sky didn't even remember carrying his friend at all. We knew they were attacked, but we don't know what it was."

Vanoss suddenly sighed and closed his eyes, looking tired "after staying in the medical bay for several days, they both made a full recovery, and Felix passed the rule about patrols being more than four people large, and that only Experts could leave on their own… Everything was fine after that, Sky seemed normal. He was as goofy and happy as he was before… At least… Until a level 30 Virus came along."

"Huh? Level 30?" Jack interrupted "I don't remember an attack like that. Mark and Felix had me study the documents from all the huge attacks as part of my training… Sure there were levels like 28 and 33 but never a solid 30 before…" Jack frowned at that "surly you mean something else, right? A 40, maybe?"

"No. 30." Vanoss seemed determined in that notion "I would know, I watched it die" he frowned "the reason you were never given the documents of this attack was because of Sky."

"Why? What happened that made it so secretive?"

"He was out patrolling when the level 30 came charging at the Firewall, his patrol being the only thing in its way. I was flying out there to assist just as the patrol began to scatter so they wouldn't get trampled… And Sky just… Stood there" Vanoss actually shuddered, which caught Jack completely off guard since he knew Vanoss to rarely show fear "and then out came his sword and before I knew it, the whole thing was cut in two. Its blood literally rained from the sky, covering him… Of course it was a reconstructing code so it reattached, and I started attacking since it was going for Sky again… I _thought_ that attack of his was a last resort, since he wasn't an Expert at the time but then… He did the exact thing _again_ , and this time it died for _real_."

Vanoss suddenly grabbed at his own shoulders "I was so shocked ' _that was incredible'_ I had thought ' _he's going to be an Expert one day!'_ but when I went down to congratulate him he… He wasn't the Sky I knew. Oh no, he was someone completely different… His eyes weren't even close to his own, he just looked so… _Angry_ … Then he started to glare at me like I was a Virus myself, teeth bared like a wild animal. That was when Felix and the other Experts had come up and saw it too."

"He… He took down a level 30, by himself… Before he was an Expert!? I don't believe that!" Jack looked down at Sam "without any Characters!? And he…" Jack gulped as he remembered the immense amount of anger in the eyes he had seen "and he was really mad?"

"We still don't know why or even how… But after the attack in the outer ring, this 'bipolar' thing he had just turned for the worse" Vanoss continued "MatPat concluded that his code had been indeed damaged, yet it was impossible to see the actual damage since… Well, it's code. We can't even see what _part_ of it got damaged. But the thing was, he could fight and do other things just fine, but with a broken code, he couldn't control his emotion switches… Not only that, but before the attack, the switches usually involved happiness and depression. And now…"

Jack shrank away as Vanoss gave him what had to be his most serious look by far "it's like he can't physically get sad anymore. He only has two emotions: Happy, and angry. Even the faintest hint at discord and he'll get that look in his eye, he'll become a fighting machine that could kill a level 30 just a few hits. It takes him ether hours to calm down or some serious happiness to get him out of it… But one time, in a fit of rage, he actually tried to attack Felix-"

" _WHAT!?"_ Jack nearly jumped right out of the bed at that "are you _serious!?_ He attacked _Felix!?_ "

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Vanoss encouraged him to calm down "even then, he can still feel fear. That's one of the things that those two sides have in common. He's deathly afraid of hurting someone, even though he's technically never done it before."

"You just said-"

"When I say ' _attack_ ' I really mean ' _aggressive reaction.'_ "

"What does _that_ mean!?"

"He flipped a table."

"Towards Felix?"

"Yeah."

Jack bit his lip "so… that's why he ran away back then? Was he going to get angry at me for screaming?"

"No. He ran away because he saw the fear in your eyes, and was scared you caught wind of something… To be fair, you actually did" Vanoss sighed "also, he ran away mostly because Mark."

"Mark?" Jack was confused for a split second before getting incredibly pissed "hey! Why would everyone try and hide this from me anyway!?" he pointed as himself "is it because you think I'm a baby!?"

"No, it's because Mark asked us all to keep quiet. He made everyone promise to never tell you. Why do you think you never go on patrol with Sky? Or train with him at all? The only time Sky's been invested with your training is when you need help with Characters."

"But why would Mark do that? I can handle this!" Jack was still a bit pissy, crossing his arms "it's not like I'd go poking at him, hoping for a reaction!"

"Because Mark wants you to have the best life possible, as silly as it sounds" Vanoss rolled his eyes at Jack's responding snort of disbelief "he wants you to have everything he didn't get to-"

Vanoss suddenly stopped talking, making Jack blink "what?" the younger AI asked, trying to read his face. There was a brief moment of silence before Vanoss stood up from the bed and sat back down in the chair "it's nothing" Vanoss murmured, looking back out the window "you need to process what I just told you, maybe you should sleep on it."

Jack tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he began to grow suspicious "Vanoss?"

"Hmm?" Vanoss gave him a quick glance.

"What is it?"

'What's what?"

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing important." Vanoss put bluntly.

"What did Mark _not get?_ "

Vanoss flinched at that, pursing his lips as he saw Jack's suspicion "just… He didn't have an easy life."

"Huh?"

"He had a hard time growing up, alright?" Vanoss gave Jack a look that encouraged him to shut up "just drop it, it's nothing important."

 _"Hell no!"_ Jack thought to himself, gritting his teeth _"if something's wrong with Mark, I deserve to know!"_

Just as Jack was about to chew Vanoss out and _make_ him spill the beans, the door suddenly opened with a bang, making them both jump out of fright "okay! Out with you!" MatPat suddenly came into view, a bunch of touch screens and wires spilling out of his pockets and arms "I need to run some tests, Felix wants results by tomorrow, no distractions!"

"Sure. I need to sleep anyway" Vanoss made haste in leaving the room, vanishing from sight before Jack could even do so much as protest "alright, put Sam away and lie flat" MatPat gave no warning prior to pushing Jack backwards so he was laying down "oh shoot, the darn thing came back" he peered at Jack's green eye "oh well… More tests with that thing, the better. How are you feeling?"

Jack stared up at him blankly before glancing at the door, a sigh escaping his lips as he looked up and away at the ceiling above him, green pixels flashing by as Sam went back into his Antechamber "fine" he muttered crossly "just _peachy…_ "


	12. Chapter 13

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

Felix frowned down at the world below him, the passing wind blowing his short hair off to the side as he turned his gaze to a building that was by far the closest to the core's protective dome. It was fairly tall but not incredibly 'wide' as it didn't have much of a use other than housing a total of six people.

The Expert's residence had to be, by far, one of the plainest looking buildings regarding its importance. It had a total of six floors, each one being the personal dorm of one Expert. Every time a new Expert emerged, another floor was just added on top. The sixth floor had just been finished by the time Jack had gotten out of the core, hence why he was able to move in so quickly… Now he was stuck there, forced to stay in bed under everyone's watch until Felix ordered otherwise.

He was actually considering giving such an order, since it was looking more and more like a transformation then anything _bad_ , but there was always that shadow of a doubt that Felix had grown to hate. He shook his head; scolding himself " _perhaps one of his guards can tell me about it, since MatPat's busy analyzing the code of that eye…_ " He let out a sigh _"it's been two whole days, and Jack is just fine…"_ he looked up at the evening sky, eyes immediately locking onto a speck in the distance.

Felix quickly recognized Mark, the pink glow of his neon-looking mustache wings giving him away. Felix watched the glowing speck for a while before grabbing hold of the railing in front of him, swinging a leg over, and jumping off.

Unlike the other dormitories, Felix actually lived far away from the other fighters, right at the top of the main spire. A balcony wrapped around his little apartment's edges, providing a view of the city from all angles.

Felix had just jumped off that balcony, pixels of all colors shooting out from his shoulder blades as his own wings began to take form, catching the air and yanking him up so he wouldn't fall to his death. The wind was brutal at such a high altitude, but he ignored the pressure and began to fly over to the glowing speck.

However, he stopped at the edge of the Firewall, refusing to go beyond its protective limits. Felix frowned down at the structure before raising his arms over his head, his wings beating the air with immense strength as he hovered behind the wall.

There was a bright flash, and a ray of pink light suddenly shot out of his hands, forming a beacon of sorts in order to catch Mark's attention, since he was far away from the wall. It took a few seconds, but the pink speck eventually turned and headed in his direction.

Seeing that he had succeeded, Felix let his arms fall to his sides, breaking the beacon. He turned and flew back up to the balcony, his feet hitting the secure platform just as Mark's actual features came into view.

"Yes?" the Korean asked rather cheerfully, his own wings dissolving as he landed beside Felix, the red of his hair whipping back and forth against the wind as Felix's own wings disappeared "come in, too long of a discussion for out here!" Felix responded over the wind, gesturing to the one door that led back into his living quarters.

One would expect the leader to live in a castle, or some form of luxurious penthouse, but the small apartment high in the sky was anything but. It was tiny, only one room, the walls mostly made of glass, and only a few pieces of furniture littered the small apartment.

The only thing that made it 'stand out' was the fact that it was utterly _pink_.

"I see you haven't remodeled at all" Mark commented as Felix shut the sliding door behind them "this entire room still looks like the testing grounds for a glitter bomb… It's making my wings jealous!"

"Ha-Ha, jealous is right, pink is a fabulous color and don't you dare forget it!" Felix quickly swooped down in order to pick up an approaching blur of pale yellow fur "it's the only color that truly fits my personality… Besides rainbows in general!" Felix held the furry creature, which was a pug, in his arms, smiling broadly as he went to give it a kiss on its cheek "wouldn't you agree, Maya?"

" _Yeah poods!_ " Felix suddenly whirled around, voice high pitched as he thrust the pug up to Mark's face, making him take a step back " _fuck you, Mark!_ "

Mark couldn't help but burst out into laughter at that, Felix soon falling victim to the same fate as he set the pug back down onto the floor "a-any way" he took a breath, trying to recover from his fit of laughter, his face slowly developing a more serious look "there's something I need to tell you."

Mark blinked, tilting his head to the side at Felix's sudden change in attitude, a chill rolling up his spine as their gazes locked "Mark, unless MatPat's analysis tells me otherwise, I'm going to release Jack from bedrest and allow him to go on with his daily routine, which includes figuring out how to use his Characters and weapons."

Mark pursed his lips at the mention of fighting, his fingers curling up into loose fists as Felix continued "I know you're worried about him, I know he's like a brother to you, but Mark you have to realize that Jack's an _Expert_ now, he may be young but he can take care of himself, you just can't shelter him like you used to…"

Felix suddenly sighed and broke eye contact, crossing his arms and turning away to look out at the world from one of the glass walls "you know what that means, Mark… The moment Jack gets out there he's going to be socializing even more than usual… Careless words or mere slips of the tongue are bound to come out no matter how hard you try. He's going to figure it out, and I know for a fact that it won't go over well, not if he's forced to solve the 'mystery' like as you fear."

Felix looked back at Mark; his sky blue eyes narrowed "the only way to make this easier for everyone is that we tell him in a straightforward manner, and that _you_ be present."

Mark actually flinched away, eyes wide "what? No, Felix you _can't!_ " the Korean quickly took a step forward, almost pleading "he'll be _crushed_ if he finds out!"

"So just hide it from him his entire life? Lie to his face over and over until the day he dies? When _you_ die?" Felix let his arms fall from their crossed position, meeting Mark's gaze evenly "how many times do I have to say it, Mark? Jack is an Expert for goodness sake!"

"So it's okay to just… Ruin his life like this!?" Mark threw his arms out to the side, startling a lingering Maya into running away "to throw our friendship out the window!? To-"

"You don't know if that's going to happen, all of this is just based off of your paranoia" Felix let his voice drop down to a whisper "Jack may be young but he's no longer a kid, at times, he has the common sense of an adult."

" _At times_ " Mark echoed his words almost bitterly, refusing to look at Felix "you don't know him like I do."

"In fact, I _do_." Felix frowned at Mark's change in attitude "I practically raised him, I taught him everything I know-"

"Yeah, well guess what, I did that too" Mark continued to look away, his face heavily contorted "I was the one who took him on his first patrol, I'm the one that kicked his ass when he tried to go into the middle ring without permission, I've sparred with him, I've encouraged him, I've even read him bedtime stories for fuck's sake!"

"Then you should know how much Jack cares about you, it's going to take a lot more than _this_ to deter him."

"He's also too sensitive. He'll blame himself…" Mark turned his back to Felix, struggling to keep his voice even "I-I don't want him to be sad, depressed or anything of the sort! He doesn't deserve that!"

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, I can't decide whether its ignorance or naivety" Felix shook his head in a disappointed manner "it's those feelings that make us more human, after all… Since you're such a human fan-boy, I'd thought you'd be more accepting of that."

Mark bit his lip, his back still turned towards Felix as he tried to think of something to say. His mind however, failed him, and he was left standing there like an idiot.

"I get it" Felix spoke up, breaking the awkward silence "you're trying to live though Jack, you think that if he's happy, then you can also feel happy… Like how Sky's hanging around him in order to get that positive vibe."

He suddenly shook his head once more, almost sad "Mark… That is no way to live. Just because your inner despair is hidden does not mean that it is gone. I've seen you; you're slowly becoming distant, almost fading."

Mark winched as he heard Felix's voice crack, and squeezed his eyes shut as he managed to continue "you may not be aware of it, but… Every time you're not with Jack, you don't look the same. You don't act the same. You don't even sound the same. Sometimes I mistake you for someone else, even with your identifying red hair and memorable voice…"

"Where are you going with this?" Mark butted in as he heard Felix pause for a breath "are you just trying to make me feel even worse?"

"No, I'm trying to get some sense into your god damn head." It obviously took some effort for Felix to make himself sound as assertive as he did "Mark, you need to talk about this with someone, you need to learn how to move on, you have to let fucking _go._ "

Mark turned around upon hearing that, eyes blazing with an emotion Felix couldn't possibly hope to describe "t-tell me, how am I supposed to do that?" he whispered, eyes bloodshot with fresh tears "you say it likes it's fucking easy, but it's _not_. It's _not_ , Felix! _It never will be!_ "

Without waiting for a response, Mark walked right by Felix and threw the door open, leaping off the balcony before Felix could even stop him. Felix watched as Mark summoned his wings and flew off into the evening sky, disappearing almost immediately. He continued watching the open air even after he had vanished, a cocktail of emotions within him.

After a while he walked out and closed the door Mark had left open before jumping off, but instead of going after Mark like one would expect, he just flew down to sturdy ground. He landed right next to the Core's protective dome. After making sure his large wings hadn't knocked anyone over, he made his way into MatPat's technological building.

"Holly heck! Felix! What's wrong?" MatPat's voice quickly rang out from a corner of the room Felix had walked into, making him turn to look at the technology enthusiast, who was currently tripping over the thousands of wires that ran all across the floor in means of getting to him "you're _crying_ and you _never_ cry!" MatPat looked Felix over with wide eyes "the hell happened, man!?"

"Do me a favor and stop making a big deal about it…" Felix glanced around, making sure they were alone before closing the door behind him "I was just… Talking to Mark."

MatPat's eyes flooded with sudden understanding "you want to tell Jack" he concluded, crossing his arms and leaning back against a nearby support beam "how did he take it?"

"Badly, if you couldn't tell" Felix pointed at his leaking eyeballs before wiping them away with the back of his hand "he flew off to the north… I… I wanted him to be there when we told Jack…"

MatPat looked at him for a while before looking away and sighing, his shoulders rising in a shrug "I'm sorry, Felix… I mean, Mark being upset is something I wasn't surprised to hear, but you're right. Jack would handle it a lot better if Mark was there."

"I'm getting tired of all these _secrets_ " Felix walked past MatPat and deeper into the room, looking around at the green monitors with an unfocused gaze "first there was Sky's anger issues and now _this_ too?" He shook his head, generally depressed "it appears Jack is plagued with both fortune _and_ misfortune…"

"Are you also referencing his weird septic eye? Because I just finished reviewing its code" MatPat spun on his heels, walking over to pick up a nearby touch screen, clearly trying to change the subject "and I had some consulting from Vanoss the other day-"

"Vanoss? Here?" Felix was surprised to hear that "he rarely comes here at all…"

"I know, right? But he did" MatPat handed over the touch screen "he talked about transformations and whatnot, telling me what kind of signals their codes gave off…"

"Don't you already know all of that?" Felix glanced down at the eye's code, which was running across the screen.

"Yeah, that's what was weird about it…" MatPat turned to look around the room, suddenly on edge "Vanoss rarely talks about Jack, ether. They don't hang out at all… But…"

"But?"

"When he was here, it was always about Jack" MatPat didn't look at him directly "I mean, he _was_ on guard duty for a while, and he did apparently find out some stuff about the eye, but _still!_ His attitude was very different from usual!"

"What do you mean?" Felix put the screen down on a nearby table, giving MatPat his undivided attention.

"You know how he's always strait faced and stiff looking? How he only loosens up when he's around his group of friends?"

"I… guess?" Felix went with it, knowing he didn't have an eye for such details like MatPat did.

"He was _loose_ with me, _me_ of all people! We _never_ talk!" MatPat threw his arms out to the side, eyes wide "he even laughed! I mean it was _one_ laugh but still!"

"Maybe he was just in a good mood" Felix shrugged, truthfully unsure about what to think.

"No, it was more than that!" MatPat seemed awfully sure of himself as he continued "he looked almost relieved!"

"Eh?" that caught Felix off guard " _that's_ what you got out of him? _Relieved?_ "

"And there's something else…" MatPat suddenly started to whisper as if he was sharing a secret "I went up there last night, and I was the one who relieved Vanoss of his post and… Jack did _not_ look happy to see him go. It was like he was… Frustrated."

Felix blinked rapidly upon hearing that "is that so?"

"Vanoss's change in attitude, Jack's reaction… I've got a theory about it and you're _not_ going to like it…"

It took Felix a second "no…" was all he could say "he wouldn't have."

MatPat shrugged in response "I only have so much to work with… I know Jack was looking weirdly at Sky when the eye first appeared, and I know Vanoss appointed himself as Sky's mental support… I mean, it's only personal observation but…"

"You've got a good head, MatPat" Felix broke in, closing his eyes and turning his head away as he let out a sigh "I trust it… Because I've feared the same thing for quite some time now."

"You _knew_ Vanoss would spill?" MatPat looked genuinely surprised "then… Why didn't you try to stop it?"

"I didn't know it would be Vanoss of all people… _That_ caught me off guard" Felix reached up to rub his temples "but Jack's getting more and more mature by the day, asking more logical and serious questions both to himself and other people… Secrets can't be kept from him anymore… I was planning on telling him everything tomorrow, no matter how much Mark protested…"

"But Jack might already know about Sky…" MatPat whispered "Felix, if Vanoss really _did_ tell him… Mark's gonna _flip_."

Felix pursed his lips together, staring down at the floor in between his feet for quite a while before finally speaking up "MatPat, is the septic eye dangerous?"

"N…No…" MatPat shook his head "with Vanoss's help, I was able to determine that it's officially a transformation much faster than usual… the _Septic Eye_."

"Tell me the details later" Felix suddenly went to open the door, looking up at the evening sky "come with me."

"What? Wait…" MatPat's eyes went wide as he hurried after a departing Felix "you want to tell him _now!?_ "

"Not now, but soon…" Felix glanced up at the wall "the moment Mark comes back."

"H-He might not be back for _days_ if he's really _that_ upset…"

"Not if I have anything to say about it" Felix led the way to one of the bigger courtyards where several fighters were still mingling around "alright, listen up!" He suddenly raised his voice, the white noise of casual chatter stopping to an abrupt halt as they addressed their leader.

"Has any of you seen Arin or Danny?" Felix kept his voice high in volume so that everyone could hear him, the question causing several people to turn around to check the surrounding crowd.

"Here!" a voice suddenly rose up, a matching face soon coming into view, another close behind it "what's up?"

"I need you for something" Felix led the two men away, MatPat running to catch up to them "I need you to go find a certain someone."

"Huh?" The taller of the two men blinked rapidly, his massive amounts of curly hair nearly blocking out his vision "who?"

"Mark. He ran off like an idiot and I want him back. He's pissed, so it's better if he sees a close friend" Felix looked from one to the other "or in this case, two… In fact, make it three. Find Jon and take him with you."

"Geez, is he in trouble or something?" The other man crossed his arms, his single streak of blond hair was the only thing on his figure that stood out in the twilight "or is he just moody?"

"I want to tell Jack about Mark's _situation_."

Both of them winced at Felix's blunt tone "oh _fuck._ No wonder he ran away" they exchanged looks of worry before looking back at Felix "where'd he go?"

"Somewhere north. And don't forget about bringing Jon, I don't want you two getting killed out there. And be _quick_ " Felix looked up at the Firewall "at dawn tomorrow, I'm telling Jack everything."

With that, Felix turned and walked away, gesturing for MatPat to follow "MatPat, I want you to mentally go over every bit of information you've gathered about Mark, go over your theories and make sure they still hold. You're going to be doing most of the talking."

MatPat winced at that "you _know_ most of my theories didn't hold in the first place… The others don't work at all."

"Well, there's a reason. Remember that we're in a digital reality, nothing happens by accident." Felix stopped so he could look at MatPat right in the eye "just use your best logical answer, please."

MatPat thought for a while before nodding "y-yeah… Sure…"

"Good… now..." Felix looked up at the building where Jack was currently in bedrest "I'm going to do some of my own investigating. You have until Arin, Danny, and Jon bring back Mark."

He continued to look at the building, listening to the sound of MatPat's footsteps fading away into the distance. The entire structure was dark against the faint light of twilight, making it almost ominous-looking.

He took a deep breath before walking inside, the ground floor was empty, and it's only purpose was housing the staircase up to the levels above. Each level had one private room, the staircase winding up and built to pass each door. Felix started up the stairs, listening to see if any of the other Experts were home. He heard practically nothing, and hurried to the top where Jack lived. He hesitated before opening his door and walking in.

He blinked rapidly to see that Jack was _standing_ at his bedroom window, one hand braced against the wall in means of support.

"What are you doing? I didn't tell you it was okay to stand up yet!" Felix looked around, frowning to see that his appointed guard was standing nearby, arms outstretched, in mid-attempt to stop Jack "I-I'm sorry! I just looked away for one second…" they sputtered, eyes wide as they saw Felix.

"Its fine, Mini" Felix spoke to the guard with a nod of the head "you're excused, go sleep, it's getting late."

" _Yet?_ " Jack suddenly referenced what Felix had said upon his arrival, turning to look at Felix as the AI named Mini walked out with a sigh of relief "does that mean something?"

Felix rolled his eyes "you're fine, the eye is a transformation-"

" _Thank god!_ " Jack suddenly hurried over to Felix, trying to get past him so he could get out.

"Hey!" Felix caught him by the arm "don't go running off just yet!"

"Yer practically _killing_ me, Felix!" Jack tried to get out of his sturdy grip "I've been sitting still fer' too _long_! Lemme _LIVE!_ "

"You _are_ living!" Felix dragged him into the center of the room, making sure the door was closed after him "just wait a second, there's something I need to ask you."

"Yeah, Yeah, sure!" Jack started bouncing from one foot to the other, eyes wide and baring nothing but a pleading look that almost made Felix feel pity "just hurry it up! I gotta run! Do something!"

"Do you have somewhere to be?" Felix crossed his arms, frowning as he saw the impatience "do you want to talk to Mark?"

"Mark?" Jack suddenly stopped fidgeting, making Felix blink "er… Yeah!" Jack smiled, but Felix could clearly see the strain of it being forced.

"Jack?" Felix gave him the most father tone he could manage "what's going on?"

"Nothing!" Jack said all too loudly, eyes suddenly wide "I'm great! Except for the fact that I'm practically a _prisoner_ in my own fooking _room!_ "

"Jack" Felix repeated, raising an eyebrow "quit trying to fool me."

Jack winced, shuffling his feet awkwardly as he thought of something to say "I… Uh…"

"MatPat told me you were pretty peeved to see Vanoss leave last night." Felix spoke up before Jack could come up with another lie "I'm guessing you wanted to go see _him_ , right?"

Jack winced, biting his lip as he looked away "m-maybe… Maybe not…"

"It's about Sky, right?"

Felix felt himself letting out a sigh as Jack suddenly tensed up, eyes darting around, avoiding his gaze "Jack, no one's in trouble here. There's nothing wrong with knowing-"

"Well, yeh put a hell of a lot of effort into making sure I never found out!" Jack suddenly blurted out, finally meeting his gaze, a whole new emotion taking over his eyes "what the hell were yeh thinking!? You know I hate it when you treat me like a fooking baby!"

Felix frowned at that "we weren't babying you, Jack…"

"Or really? Then what was it!?" Jack grabbed at his own green hair, clearly agitated "do you not trust me!? Do you think I'm irresponsible!?"

"I think you're not letting me talk" Felix took a step forward in order to remind him who he was talking to "to be honest, I was on my way here to tell you about Sky if you didn't already know about him."

Jack pursed his lips, crossing his arms "oh really?" he growled "what's with the sudden change of heart?"

"You're growing up" Felix said simply "I've come to realize that you can handle yourself… And that you can handle any struggles that come your way… Both physically and mentally…" Felix looked down, sighing deeply "you deserve to know everything, you're an Expert now, and… And I'm being honest when I say that I am _so sorry_ for deceiving you into believing that everything was alright."

Jack actually scoffed at that "yeah, because Mark forced you to do it, right?"

Felix stilled, hesitating before meeting his gaze once more "did Vanoss tell you that, as well?"

"He left before he could tell me the whole story… But like you said, I'm an Expert now, a grown AI, I think I can put two and two together" Jack practically spat those words out "and I'm fooking _pissed_ about what I figured out."

"Jack-"

" _Why?_ " Jack interrupted, displaying an odd mixture of anger and sadness "why would he force everyone to stay quiet? Does he really think so low of me?" his eyes suddenly grew wide "do you _all_ think I would do something bad? Is it because I'm young? Inexperienced?"

"Mark's only fault is that he cares too much" Felix went forward to give the young AI a gentle touch to the shoulder "don't hold it against him, please. It's all about to come to an end anyway."

"So yer also going to tell me what his deal is?" Jack crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes "Vanoss wouldn't tell me."

"He's going to tell you himself… Hopefully… Along with MatPat."

Jack blinked "so… It's a _physical_ problem?"

"You'll soon see" Felix looked out the window "the moment Mark comes back, I plan on telling you everything… Just _please_ , be patient for just another day at the least."

"Why can't you just tell me _now!?_ " Jack let his arms fall from their crossed position "please!? You were about to do it with Sky's problem!"

"This is something Mark needs to tell you himself… Jack, _trust_ me. You'll soon understand, and after that there will be no more secrets, I promise." Felix took hold of Jack's shoulders with both of his hands "if you still have any faith in me, just stay in this room for one more day. Just one more, no more guards or supervision, you can sleep alone."

Jack stared at him for a while, trying his best to look angry, but the fiery emotion was beginning to die. Upon seeing him calm down, Felix turned to leave "only one more day" he reminded the green haired AI "I promise."

"I-I'm still mad at you" Jack suddenly sputtered from behind Felix, making him stop in his tracks "I-I'm mad at everyone… Except Sky. Sky's not the one to blame here. Yer the problem. You and Mark."

"That's okay." Felix looked back at Jack to see that his teeth were gritted, face flush with crimson "that's perfectly okay." He assured, giving him a small smile before turning and making his leave. The door closed behind him with an echoing _clack_ that sent shivers up both of their spines.

As Felix walked down the stairs, Jack turned to look out the window once more. He couldn't decide to ether cry or scream. After a few seconds, he decided to do neither and just flopped down onto his bed as ungracefully as he could. He lay there; face down in the mattress as he let Sam come out of his Antechamber.

As the green eye nestled into the open palm of his hand, Jack felt his eyes closing, lips parting as he found difficulty in breathing through the mattress, but he didn't feel like moving so he tried to ignore it.

"I take it back, Sam" Jack suddenly muttered through the mattress, his voice horribly muffled and nearly inaudible "growing up fooking _SUCKS._ "


	13. Chapter 14

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS.**

"Skip! Come here!"

A white cat with a few patches of brown on its head and tail suddenly slinked out from the tangle of wires that decorated one of the corners of MatPat's technological playground; going up to the theorist himself, who was sitting in the middle of the floor with a screen held up to his face "there you are!" MatPat put down the screen down and scooped up the cat into his arms, holding it close with his face buried into their soft fur "oh Skip, this is going to be the hardest thing I've ever done…" MatPat lay back, letting the cat rest on his chest as he looked up at the ceiling "I'm about to go up to one of my best friends and tell them something that's going to make _another_ one of my best friends really depressed, and _no one_ is going to have a good time."

MatPat craned his neck so he could look at Skip, who didn't seem to mind lying on his chest "any advice?"

Skip simply raised a paw and began to lick it, using it to clean his face as well as the fur behind his ears.

"Keep it clean?" MatPat was looking for a hidden connection where there obviously wasn't one "right?"

Skip then stood up and hopped off his chest, going off somewhere else, leaving MatPat to lie there awkwardly. He watched him go before sitting up and retrieving the screen he had set aside "poor Jack… poor _Mark_ …" MatPat sighed and started looking over his theory one last time.

He jerked up as he heard the door creaking open, and he turned to see someone standing there "oh, hey Jon" MatPat stood up, making sure not to accidentally kick Skip "I'm guessing you found Mark?"

"Oh yeah, it took a while… He was out in the Wasteland" Jon hitched a thumb towards the outdoors "he's _still_ not very happy about it."

"Who can blame him?" MatPat sent Skip back into his Antechamber before tucking the screen away into his pants pocket "I'm guessing Felix wasn't kidding about 'as soon as you get back' huh?"

"Nope." Jon moved out of the way so MatPat could walk out "Arin and Danny are gonna tag along, too… Me as well" Jon looked up at Felix's apartment at the top of the central spire "up there, with no distractions."

"Wise choice… As long as no one loses it… I assume you're my ride?"

"Yup" there was a flash of green pixels before Jon suddenly grew a pair of large green wings "so, how do you think Jack will take it?" He asked as he let MatPat grab a hold of his arms.

"I honestly have no idea" MatPat hung on tight as Jon stretched out his wings "but for someone as hyperactive as he is, he's awfully mature. I'm sure he can handle it one way or another."

"I hope you're right" Jon muttered before taking off, knocking the wind out of MatPat as the upward force startled him, but Jon refused to let him slide out of his grip until he was safely secured onto the balcony of Felix's apartment.

"G-Give me some warning next time" MatPat gasped, clutching his chest as Jon set him down and let his wings disappear "p-positive G forces are much easier to handle if you're in the correct position! Going straight up, face first, is not a good idea!" MatPat gave him a halfhearted glare "remember my reasoning when I outlawed Link's Hookshot?

"Yeah, sorry" Jon apologized over the powerful wind, the green pixels of his wings being swept away by the deafening gust "come on, we should get inside!" he called as he grabbed the door and pulled it open, nearly losing his grip as the wind almost tore it from his fingers.

MatPat quickly ducked into the apartment, dragging Jon in after him before turning and helping him pull it shut, which took an immense amount of effort since they were working against the wind.

The door eventually gave into their combined strength and slammed shut, silencing the roar and leaving an irritable ringing sound in MatPat's ear. He shook his head in means of clearing it, letting his mousy brown hair toss around into a lazy mess. He had other things to worry about.

He looked around Felix's fabulous room, blinking rapidly as he saw that he and Jon were some of the last AI to arrive. Arin and Danny were standing against the far wall, warily watching one of the few pieces of furniture the apartment had to offer, a pink and white couch, since it was what Mark had decided to sit in.

MatPat shuddered as he barely recognized the Korean. He was hunched over, his elbows on his knees and his head tilted towards the ground, the red of his hair covering his eyes so MatPat couldn't see his current facial expression. He suddenly felt uneasy, lips parting as if he was going to say something, but he had no words.

After an awkward silence, MatPat closed his mouth and went to stand by Jon, who had gone over to Danny and Arin " _give him space, let him think_ " he thought, looking around the apartment " _let Felix and Jack take as long as they need…_ "

He suddenly realized how odd it was that Felix wasn't in his own apartment " _someone has to get Jack_ " he told himself, but even then, Felix could of easily had someone else do it for him " _you would think that making sure Mark couldn't run away would be his biggest priority…_ "

He stopped his train of thought as he suddenly caught a glimpse of something colorful outside the glass the apartment had for walls. He turned just in time to see Felix landing onto the balcony. At first, MatPat smiled to see they had arrived, but his smile quickly melted away and a gasp made itself audible as he realized that Felix wasn't carrying Jack.

MatPat could only stare as Felix opened the door for Sky, letting the taller AI walk in and take a breath, his curly brown hair in a static-induced mess, worsened by the wind. MatPat made awkward eye contact with him before looking at Felix. His leader gave nothing away, quickly turning to watch the balcony from the door he was keeping open despite the wind.

After a few seconds, there was a flash of Yellow and the lean figure of Vanoss suddenly landed with a sturdy _thump_ onto the balcony, Jack clinging desperately to his shoulders until Vanoss encouraged him to let go, the exchange of words quickly stolen by the wind.

MatPat exchanged glances with Jon as Felix let them in, quickly shutting the door after them and leaving the room in total silence. MatPat took the opportunity and looked over everyone. Everyone's hair resembles a rat's nest due to the wind, gazes flicked back and forth, only the sound of their breathing could be made audible.

" _No amount of preparation could prepare someone for this…_ " MatPat thought as his gaze fell onto Mark, who wasn't even looking at anyone. The floor was apparently very interesting for him. He hesitated before looking at Jack, who he expected to be looking at Sky, was instead staring at Mark. He shuddered as he saw the immense amount of emotion brewing within his icy blue eyes, his knuckles turning white from how harshly he was clenching his fists.

"Well then" Felix abruptly broke the silence, startling everyone into attention "let's get this over with."

MatPat shuddered once more as he felt his leader's eyes fall onto him, and he knew what he had to do. He hated doing it, but he had to.

"Hi, Jack" he started off lamely, pausing to take a deep breath before reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out his touch screen "I… I'm sorry about all this…" he glanced at Mark, hoping he wasn't hitting a nerve "I don't think we handled this as best as we could of…"

Jack looked like he wanted to say something, but he remained quiet, for what MatPat could only assume to be for Sky's sake. The tall AI was shifting from foot to foot, keeping Jack out of his line of sight. MatPat had no idea why Felix thought it was okay to bring Sky into such a stressful situation, but he had no other choice than to trust him and go with it.

"Mark?" MatPat slowly turned fully towards the red haired Korean "would you like to join me?"

Mark continued to say nothing, but his head tilted up from his sullen position, slowly turning so that he could look at Jack. The whole scene made MatPat feel uncomfortable, since he had never seen Jack so _mad_ before, especially at _Mark_. Mark's chocolate brown eyes were bloodshot, dull with exhaustion and just stress in general, while Jack's icy blue eyes burned with a suppressed rage, all while shining with an odd sense of curiosity that MatPat found incredibly odd.

" _He's pissed, but he wants to know his reasoning_ " he eventually realized " _reserving judgment for afterwards… Felix was right, you_ have _matured…_ "

He turned from Jack to Mark, then back to Jack once more "I… Uh… I guess we should start with… With…"

"I-I'm sorry."

Mark's weak and wavering voice caught MatPat off guard, making him snap his mouth shut and let those few words set in. Jack's eyes did not cease their burning and his mouth did not open. There wasn't even a twitch, no indication of change at all.

" _I'm sorry_ " Mark said again, this time more strongly. The creak of the couch becoming audible as Mark suddenly began to stand up. Jack didn't move at all, fixed in place as Mark managed to continue "for everything… I thought I could protect you and… And I was wrong, so, very wrong."

" _What the absolute hell?_ " MatPat thought, taken aback " _this is not how he should be acting; just a few moments ago he looked as defeated as trampled dirt!"_

"I… I'll tell you everything, alright? Every little detail, nothing left out, I promise…"

" _Whaaa?_ " MatPat thought as he searched Mark's face desperately " _what is he doing? Why is he being so…_ "

"I owe it to you" Mark reached forward to touch Jack on the shoulder, who only glanced down at his hand in response "we don't have to make a big deal about it, and… this is something personal, about _me_ … I think it's best if we talked alone."

" _OH…_ " MatPat realized with a jolt what Mark was trying to do " _he's trying to get Jack out of here!"_

MatPat glanced over at Sky, who was leaning against the wall trying his best to remain emotionless. Vanoss stood by his side, glaring at Mark with his _Owl's Eyes_ " _Vanoss's caught wind of it too… No one told Mark that Jack knows about Sky!"_

MatPat quickly looked back at Jack, who was now looking at Mark through narrowed eyes _"Jack knows how hard Mark tried to hide Sky's problem from him… He must be getting suspicious, I need to-_ "

"I know."

" _Damn it!_ " MatPat thought as Jack suddenly ruined his chance to interfere with the conversation. Mark was clearly taken aback by this, letting go of his shoulder as he took a step backward "you know?" he asked, tilting his head to the side in his best attempt to look innocent "what do you mean?"

"I know about Sky. I know what yeh did." Jack closed the gap in between them, raising a finger so he could jab Mark in the chest " _'every little detail?_ ' was that going to include Sky's condition? How yeh burdened everyone with keeping their mouth shut just because yeh thought I couldn't handle it? Because yeh didn't trust me!?"

" _Shoot, Jack, stop!_ " MatPat thought, getting ready to take a step forward so he could break them apart "don't-"

But it was too late, Mark's facial expression suddenly melted away into an emotionless stare, his lips parting as he stared at Jack, who returned the look with eyes of fury.

"It's not his fault!" Jack continued, losing the control he once had and grabbed the front of Mark's flannel with both hands, shaking the more strongly built AI around "Sky didn't ask to get attacked! Stop treating him like some fooking monster! If anything, _yer_ the bad guy here!" Jack was now crying profusely, as if something within him suddenly sprung a leak from the pressure "yer a fooking _jerk_ Mark!"

With that, Jack's right hand suddenly lashed up, delivering a bone chilling _smack_ to the side of Mark's face, making him stumble off to the side for the force behind it was immense, so strong in fact that it surprised everyone.

Mark's hand found one of the glass walls, while the other found his face. He stood there for a while, using the wall as a support as Jack continued to glare at him, breathing heavily as he tried to fight against his tears "I… I… _I ha_ -"

" _You fucking_ told _him!?_ "

Everyone, including Jack, took a step back as Mark suddenly released the wall so he could stand on his own, glaring through his bright red fringe. MatPat followed his gaze to Felix, who was meeting his gaze evenly.

"You _promised_ me!" Mark's voice was ripe with anger as he began to approach his leader, hands clenching into fists as he neared Felix "y-you fucking swore on your life!"

MatPat backed up as Mark suddenly grabbed Felix by the front of his shirt and slammed him into the wall, earning an audible gasp from everyone, except Jack's resulting cry was more of a sob than anything "you basterd! I'll fucking kill you!"

Felix calmly looked up at Mark, who was now above him due to the awkward position "Mark, let me go" he said slowly "you know you can't win against me in a fight."

"Fuck you!" Mark didn't seem to care about his personal health as he pulled back a fist, aiming to punch Felix, how own leader and friend, in the face.

" _Mark! Stop!_ "

"Stay out of this, Vanoss!" Mark snapped back at the winged sharpshooter, who had begun to approach the enraged Korean "this isn't about you!"

"Not only are you going to get yourself killed, _you're going to punch an innocent man_."

Mark immediately whirled around to look at Vanoss, who still had his _Owl's Eyes_ out "what is that supposed to mean?" he growled as Felix started to shake his head at Vanoss, trying to get him to shut up.

" _I told him_ " Vanoss said firmly, his voice unwavering as he met Mark's gaze with his glowing eyes.

"…"

MatPat gasped and grabbed the front of Jack's shirt, hauling him back towards him and Jon as Mark suddenly let out a blood curdling cry and charged at Vanoss, tackling the sharpshooter and carrying him with him until they both slammed against the door, which Vanoss had just happened to be standing in front of before the surprise attack.

MatPat was scarcely aware that Jack was screaming in protest as Mark grabbed Vanoss by the shoulders and slammed his forehead against Vanoss's in an attempt to daze him, but the owl themed AI wasn't fazed in the slightest and began to fight back, pushing Mark off of him only to have the enraged AI crash into him once more, this time, taking the door off its hinges.

MatPat covered his mouth as the both of them tumbled outside and onto the balcony, still locked in combat even as they rolled across the thin platform, the railing being their only protection from falling to their death.

"S-Stop fighting!" Sky suddenly yelled as he went to stand in the now empty doorframe, squinting against the wind as it nearly knocked him over "g-get back in here before you fall!"

"Sky, get back!" Felix took Sky by the shoulders and pulled him back inside "you can't get stressed-"

"You shouldn't have brought me!" Sky snapped in response, but retreated like he was told, refusing to look at anyone as he went to the far side of the room, trying to calm down. MatPat glanced at him before turning back to the fight. His eyes widening as he saw Mark pinning Vanoss down, his neck against the rim of the railing. He covered his mouth as he saw Mark applying pressure, too enraged to see that he was dangerously close to breaking Vanoss's neck.

" _Vanoss, what are you doing?_ " MatPat thought as he continued to hold Jack at bay since he was now trying to enter the fight " _you're stronger than Mark! Why are you-?_ "

There was a flash of yellow pixels, and Mark suddenly let out a shocked cry, stepping back from Vanoss as there was a sudden flurry of feathers and razor sharp talons.

"H-Hoodini!" Jack cried over the chaos as Vanoss's pet owl herded Mark back, who was now covering his eyes and glasses in means of protecting them. Vanoss took the opportunity and grabbed Mark by the front of his flannel his own wings suddenly erupting out from his back.

MatPat's mouth fell agape as the wind caught onto the inside of Vanoss's wings and literally tore him from his standing position, taking Mark with him as they were now streaking across the sky, away from them. MatPat watched with wide eyes as Mark summoned his own wings and ripped free from Vanoss's hold, but the sharpshooter had gotten what he wanted. Mark had no way of winning now that they were partaking in aerial combat, which Vanoss specialized in.

MatPat could no longer hear them, but he could see them circle one another, going round and round as they both looked for an opening.

Mark was the first one to move as evident by his glowing wings. Vanoss, however, was too agile for him and flew away before Mark could land a decent hit. It was then that MatPat realized what Vanoss was doing "he's taking him out of the city!" he called over to Felix "please! You can stop them both!"

MatPat froze upon seeing that Felix was shaking his head "no, MatPat, this is something they need to work out. Maybe what Mark needs is a good beat down in order to get some sense into his head." He then turned to look at Jack, who was watching the airborne fight with wide eyes, still crying.

"Jack?" MatPat tried to touch his shoulder, but Jack quickly evaded his touch and went back into Felix's apartment, refusing to watch the fight overhead. MatPat watched helplessly as he vanished from sight before turning to look at Felix "'fortune and misfortune'" he whispered, beginning to shake his head "you couldn't be more right…"


	14. Chapter 15

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. THE REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE IS EVEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT HAVE A "CROSSOVER WITH EVERYTHING" TAB, SINCE THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE IRRATIONAL.  
**

Vanoss banked through the air, frowning as Mark continued to be a persistent little shit and followed close behind. Vanoss could personally keep this up all day, but Mark was just as durable, plus fueled by his own rage, no matter how irrational it was. He mentally sighed and continued to dodge his attacks; trying to ignore his screams of fury " _I should have expected this…_ " he thought " _the question is how I get him to stop…"_

Vanoss looked down at the earth he was flying over, the wall being far behind the both of them. Directly south of the city was terrain far different from that in any other direction, which was due to there being a rather large quantity of water in that region. Rivers that originated from the faraway mountain range snaked towards the city, gathering to form a rather large body of water that resided at least half a mile away from the Firewall. The shores of this massive lake sloped downward in a gentle fashion, the lake being not as deep as its overall width would lead one to believe. Its maximum depth had to be only twenty or so feet, and that was at its very center.

It was there that Vanoss brought the fight, mostly because he couldn't think of anything else that Mark hated besides water. Back when they had first met, Vanoss had acquired the knowledge that Mark disliked large bodies of water, even though the only such thing their known world had similar to that was the very lake Vanoss was now flying over. It was all he had to work with, so Vanoss just went with it, hoping that it would be somewhat effective.

Personally, he had never seen Mark act in such a violent manner, let alone against a fellow AI. Vanoss grimaced as an aching pain suddenly sparked throughout his shoulders from when Mark had ever so rudely shoved him up against the door, the pain refusing the die away as he continued swerving through the air, Mark still hot on his tail " _this is beginning to be annoying_ " he thought, frowning down at the water below _"I need to put an end to this before he not only hurts me, but himself as well._ "

It was then that Vanoss tucked in his wings and dive bombed down towards the water, twisting around mid-plunge before snapping his wings back out, yanking himself upward just before he hit the water. The very action went by so fast that Mark apparently couldn't comprehend what had happened, since Vanoss was now above and behind him, out of his sight. Vanoss watched from up high as Mark hovered there above the lake, spinning around in a rapid manner as his pink Warftache wings beat the air. Vanoss rolled his eyes at Mark's obliviousness before diving down at him from behind.

" _Hooooddiiinniii!_ " Vanoss shouted at the top of his lungs the moment he collided with Mark, hitting him square in the back. He quickly took advantage of Mark's obvious shock and trapped him in a headlock, pinning his bright pink wings against his own chest so he couldn't flap properly. They spun around through the air, quickly losing altitude as Vanoss couldn't flap his wings fast enough to keep the weight of two fully grown men afloat. He could feel Mark scratching at his arms and face in desperation to get free, the constant spinning disorienting the both of them to the point where Vanoss didn't have control over the situation anymore.

"Grow the fuck up!" He managed to growl into Mark's ear before angling himself downward, diving down to the water once more. But as he snapped his wings out, his arms withdrew from their hold on Mark, who couldn't even scream as he immediately hit the water face first, his pink wings instantly dissolving upon impact.

Vanoss flew up a little ways before stopping to look down at his handiwork. Mark wasn't even visible anymore, presumably all the way down at the bottom of the not-so-deep lake. Vanoss debated whether to leave him or lend a hand before eventually shaking his head " _he's probably even more pissed than before… It's best to just leave him._ "

With that, he turned and began to fly away, only making at a couple feet before stopping and turning back to look at the blue water to see that Mark hadn't resurfaced yet.

" _Hitting the water with such force may of left him unconscious, he could be drowning for all I know_ " he frowned, hesitating before flying down near the water's surface. The wind his wings were generating caused the surrounding water to splash out into a fine mist, his reflection barely visible in the dark water underneath. Vanoss glanced up to see that a storm was gathering overhead, turning the sky gloomy and grey.

"No matter how much of a pain in the ass he's been, I can't just leave him under these circumstances…" Vanoss whispered aloud, eventually sighing and tucking his wings up against his back, taking a deep breath as he plunged down feet first into the awfully cold water.

Swimming wasn't one of his strong suits, but he wasn't entirely terrible at it. His wings however proved to be an annoyance as they made swimming downward difficult. Vanoss made his wings disintegrate into yellow pixels before he continued down, squinting against the dark water. After a while, his lungs began their anticipated aching, and Vanoss was compelled to go up for air empty handed, but the sudden touch of fabric upon his hands gave him motivation to continue, the faint color of red darkened and blurry due to being underwater.

Vanoss gritted his teeth and gathered up the unconscious Mark into his arms, dragging the motionless Korean up through the water until they finally reached the surface. Vanoss took a raspy breath, submitting to a coughing fit shortly after as he started the long journey back to shore since take off from water wasn't possible.

He struggled to keep Mark's head above the surface, a burning worry beginning to develop as Mark remained unconscious through Vanoss's rough jostling. He began the long journey to the shore, even though t wasn't deep; the overall width of the lake was quite large. Vanoss soon began to feel weak, his own head periodically vanishing under the water due to his failing strength. Vanoss wheezed, periodically coughing as he dragged Mark through the water, groaning with relief as his feet finally touched down onto the gently sloping shore. It took another ten minutes just to wade up to a point where Vanoss could dump Mark onto solid ground, his legs still partially submerged within the gentle waves of the lake.

After taking a breather, Vanoss rolled Mark onto his back and pressed his ear against his nose and mouth, shuddering from both the cold and the fact that he wasn't breathing. He quickly turned his head to the side, letting the water trickle from his mouth and nose before rearing an arm back and punching Mark right in the chest with all the strength his weakened body could muster.

Mark immediately retched, coughing up a large quantity of water before rolling onto his side and repeatedly coughing, his eyes still squeezed shut. Vanoss sighed with relief before standing up from his kneeling position and backing away so Mark had space to recover.

Eventually, the two of them met eye to eye, and Vanoss noticed that Mark's eyes were still bloodshot. He took a heavy breath before turning away from Mark, summoning his wings once more "take a breather" he muttered before breaking off into a sprint, the wind catching his wings and helping him lift off the ground.

While the liftoff was flawless from an onlooker's perspective, Vanoss was not enjoying himself " _Mistakes were made!"_ he immediately thought as he suddenly felt lightheaded, his following groan of discomfort being whisked away by the wind as he flew back to the Firewall. He held his head, continuing to groan as the pain worsened, his world around him now spinning as he began to pass out, the wall becoming dangerously close to his face.

Vanoss pushed down the urge to give in and tilted himself upward so he wouldn't become a stain on the Firewall, scarcely aware that his primary feathers were skimming across the surface of the towering structure, sending shivers down Vanoss's spine.

He suddenly felt weak, his flapping steadily becoming weaker and weaker as he neared the top of the wall, and with his weakness came a drastic loss of speed. His vision beginning to fade away to black just as he rose above the protective barrier, and he stopped flapping the moment he cleared the railing, his feet unfortunately catching it. Vanoss fell forward onto the wall with an ungraceful _flop_ ; he lay there unmoving in that embarrassing position: face down, wings spread out at his sides, arms lamely sprawled out, and his feet still hooked onto the railing's handrail. He was still sopping wet, and the gathering storm overhead soon began to dump a considerate amount of rain onto him, lightning being quick to follow.

The thunderous crash of lightning was what brought Vanoss back from his state of unconsciousness. He blinked slowly before trying to get up off the ground, but the painful throbbing of his head compelled him to stay down. He groaned and tried to roll onto his side and get his feet off of the railing, but the position of his large wings wouldn't allow it.

Vanoss let his head hit the ground once more, moaning out of pain as that seemed to make his headache even worse. He closed his eyes, wanting ever so desperately to just pass out and ease the pain, even if for a short while.

"Vanoss? _Vanoss!_ "

Vanoss jerked his head up despite his protesting body's will as a familiar voice suddenly cried out amidst the lightning, making him look around just in time to see a blur of color appear before him "are you all right? What happened!?" their form was dark against the flashing lightning; the only thing identifiable about them at the moment was their voice.

"You look like crap!" They continued as they helped Vanoss unhook his feet from the railing as well as gently taking hold of his wings and folding them against his back so Vanoss wouldn't have to do it himself "come on Vanoss, talk to me! Did you get attacked!?"

"I-I'm fine" Vanoss found himself croaking, arms shaking as he managed to prop himself up into a sitting position, the world around him still spinning "j-just dragged a grown AI through what felt like a mile length of water whilst suffering through some serious lack of air… How are you?" he managed to give who he recognized to be a close friend a smile before beginning to fall over.

"H-Hey! Don't die on me, man!" His friend quickly grabbed hold of Vanoss by the shoulders, shaking him violently "h-hey! AI down!" They looked around helplessly, scanning the wall for signs of another fighter " _h-help!_ "

Vanoss was barely aware of approaching footsteps, muffled by the thunder and rain overhead. He let his eyes close, feeling an odd sense of relief and he was suddenly pulled up from the ground by multiple hands, being practically dragged down the stairs of the Firewall, several familiar voices calling out for assistance as he was whisked away.

"V-Vanoss?"

He lifted his head weakly as he heard a heavily accented whisper come through his friend's shouting. He quickly glanced to the side as he saw a sudden flash of green, eyes narrowing through the rain as he recognized the shade of it.

It was then that he pushed out from the supporting arms of his friends, making them cry out in shock and protest. Vanoss just ignored them, somehow managing to stand on his own in the now pouring rain. He continued to shrug off their attempts of support as he stood before a horrified-looking Jack. Upon seeing the situation, his friends began to back off, staying nearby in case Vanoss decided to take a dirt nap.

But for some reason, as Vanoss looked upon Jack and his odd expression, he felt a sudden strength as he knew what was coming next. He knew what Jack was going to say.

Vanoss looked over the younger AI, who was also soaking wet due to the rain. His once vibrant green hair was now dark with water, plastered to his face in a seemingly irritable manner. His icy blue eyes were wide, mouth hanging agape as he looked over Vanoss, at a loss for words at his condition.

"I know, I know, my hair's a mess" Vanoss joked weakly, but no laughter followed. Jack could only stare in what appeared to be horror at Vanoss. After a few seconds, Vanoss spoke up again "what's wrong? I'm just wet" he took an unsteady step towards Jack "you're acting like I just got back from war. Out with it, _what's wrong?_ "

'D-Did Mark…?"

Vanoss blinked before shaking his head "no, I did this to myself while _saving_ his ass."

" _Saving?_ " Jack whispered, almost shocked "why? He _attacked_ yeh…"

"You almost sound disappointed!" Vanoss exclaimed in a dramatic way, making himself cough.

Jack suddenly developed a look of frustration, conflict brewing within his eyes "I am." He muttered bluntly, making everyone around them ether gasp out of shock or exchange looks of surprise "whatever happened, you should of let him die."

"Oh shut up" Vanoss was unfazed by his statement "quit pretending that you just hate him all of a sudden, you care about him, I know you do."

"Wh-Why should I?" Jack suddenly threw his arms out to the side, his voice becoming shrill "look at all the horrible shit he's done!"

"All?" Vanoss rolled his eyes, catching Jack off guard "you know, Sky feels the exact same way about himself. If anything, Sky's the one who _wanted_ Mark to think of him like that."

In response to Jack's look of utter confusion, Vanoss continued "Sky's terrified. He's scared he's going to hurt someone, mostly you; since he was being awfully close to you in order to have your happiness rub off on him. Time and time again, he's been pushed to the edge, and it had nothing to do with Mark. He never suppressed or discriminated him because Sky was already doing it to himself. All Mark did was ask everyone to stay quiet about it."

Jack could only stare, eyes even bigger than before "but… But… _Why!?_ " he suddenly cried out, his knuckled turning white from how tightly he was clenching his fists "why!? Why would he do that!? Any of that!? Why does he care about me so much!? I'm just a friend! He has lots of friends! _Why me!?_ " Jack was screaming now, eyes squeezed shut as tears spilled down his face and mixing with the rain water "I don't understand! Every time someone promises to tell me something, I keep on getting let down! I haven't learnt a thing! I _still_ don't know what Mark's problem is! I _still_ have these questions! _I just want to know the fooking truth!"_

Vanoss watched on as Jack let out his contained frustration, holding an emotionless expression as he let Jack wail his head off, crying profusely to the stormy sky overhead. By now, Vanoss felt much better than when he had done a face plant onto the wall. He still ached in various places but his headache was beginning to clear. He had to push the exhaustion away, he knew how agonized Jack was, how he had been told time and time again that the truth was on its way, and every time it had been pulled from his grasp. The only truth he had managed to secure was about Sky.

Vanoss slowly reached through the rain and took hold of Jack's shoulder, closing his eyes as he felt it violently shake under his touch "Jack, listen to me" he suddenly pulled the crying AI closer to himself, earning a bunch of odd looks from his friends as he gave Jack an awkward hug of comfort. Jack cried into his chest as Vanoss went on "don't hold it against Mark, please… He's been through some tough shit" Vanoss tried to speak over Jack's sobs without yelling at him "the truth is, he sees you like his little brother. He wants the best for you, and he's not afraid to suppress himself in order to give you an easier time… That's both his strength and his weakness."

Vanoss sighed and gently separated himself from Jack so he could look into his tear stained eyes "I know you don't want any more bullshit, so I'll just tell you" he said over the rain "Jack, Mark doesn't have any video game Characters."

Jack blinked rapidly, his lips parting ever so slightly as he processed that "wh-what?" he eventually whispered "what do you mean? He's an Expert…"

"Technically speaking, he _is_ an Expert but…" Vanoss looked down at the wet ground underneath his feet "Do you know why MatPat and Felix waited so long to let you sync with the Core? Well… This is why. Long story short, Mark went in at a really young age and something went wrong. Mark's Characters cannot be summoned; we don't even know what they look like or what their abilities are. Felix gave Mark the title of Expert because he technically is one, yet… Mark has to fight alone, with his Warftache and with his Persona Characters… Oh, and that's the worst part. You know Chica and Tiny Box Tim?" Vanoss narrowed his eyes "Mark can't talk to them. He's been faking the connection for you the entire time."

Jack stared at Vanoss, mouth wide open as he struggled to find the words, but Vanoss continued before he could speak "you have Characters, you know how addicting the voices get, how comforting they can be. That's why you always want Sam out, and why I usually let Hoodini roam free. It's in our code to yearn for it; it's what helps us fight with them so well. Of course, Mark would have been able to handle the lack of the voices, if he didn't already experience them before, and gain that addiction early on."

Vanoss sighed "do you know Buddi?"

"Huh?" Was all Jack could say.

"Of course not… Anyway, Buddi was dog, and come to think of it she looked a lot like Chica, and she was Mark's. She was around _before_ Chica, and she and Mark grew extremely close because she was the only, and I mean the _only_ Persona Character Mark could communicate with… But…" Vanoss looked away "one day, Buddi suddenly began to grow really weak for no apparent reason, something must have happened to her real life counterpart on the Flipside, because her status began to rapidly deteriorate and in a few days she… Well… I think you can guess what happened to her."

Vanoss could hear Jack's breath hitching, barely audible over the rain, which they both continued to ignore "after she was gone, Mark _changed_. Without the voices, he began to grow more and more depressed, even as he began to grow stronger and stronger… He was very close to giving up entirely. _That_ is how addicting the voices can get, how going cold turkey can nearly destroy you… And now you're probably wondering why Mark _hasn't_ given up yet, since he's obviously still here, and the answer is simply _you_."

Jack was speechless, both due to confusion and disbelief as Vanoss continued "Mark was the one that first found you, and after hearing that you had even more potential for Characters than him, he decided to put on the 'big brother pants' and make sure you didn't end up like him" Vanoss actually rolled his eyes "I personally think he was taking it too seriously… But I'll admit, your friendship did indeed help him a bit, he began to push through the cravings and whatnot, but recently it hasn't been enough. The desire still hasn't died away, even after more than four years-"

"Are yeh fooking _kidding_ me?" Jack suddenly whispered, catching Vanoss off guard " _that's_ the big secret!?" his voice started to grow shrill "that Mark can't use Characters!? That's _IT!?_ "

"W-Well-"

"After all this time, it was something as simple as _that!?_ " Jack was now legitimately pissed "he could have easily told me that, no fooking problem! It's not even _that_ embarrassing!"

"Jack, he didn't hide this because of embarrassment, he was trying to keep you happy-"

" _What!?_ What kind of bullshit is _THAT!?"_

"Jack, just shut up and listen to me!" Vanoss yelled over the younger AI, the lightning cracking violently throughout their conversation "Mark's scared you'll get depressed with guilt, alright!? He's worried you'd shame yourself because you have _everything_ Mark couldn't get! He wanted you to be happy, and yes I _know_ it sounds _stupid,_ it was an irrational choice and practically _everyone_ knows it! Even Mark himself knows it!"

"Don't you get it!?" Vanoss continued before Jack could interrupt again "Mark did all of this for _you_ and _you_ alone! No matter how irrational he was, you have to remember that!"

Jack backed away as Vanoss suddenly began to sway side to side, his feet slipping on the wet mud underfoot "V-Vanoss?" Jack's voice was muffled by the raging storm, his hands going to grab the front of Vanoss's jacket as the sharpshooter suddenly began to grow dangerously close to falling down, and the crowd around them gasping in sync as his footing was eventually lost due to the slick ground they stood on. The whole world had begun to grow blurry for him; the exhaustion he had suppressed was now coming back with a supposed vengeance, a groan slipping free from his lips as he fell back.

"V-Vanoss!" Jack cried as the taller AI collapsed, his jacket getting ripped from his hands as he wasn't strong enough to hold on. The other fighters around them took up a similar cry as they surrounded the fallen AI, grabbing him so they could haul him up, his head hanging and his entire body now covered in mud. Vanoss barely noticed the slimy coverage, his only priority being to look up at Jack one final time before he was completely gone.

"Y-You're all he has…" he managed to gasp, his words slurring together as he began to lose consciousness "i-if you don't forgive him… H-He'll be alone…"

And with that, Vanoss's world was plunged into darkness, the last thing he heard being Jack's desperate voice calling out his name one final time.


	15. Chapter 16

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. THE REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE IS EVEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT HAVE A "CROSSOVER WITH EVERYTHING" TAB, SINCE THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE IRRATIONAL.**

Mark trudged along the riverside which was the lake's main source of substance, constantly tripping over his own feet, his hand pressed firmly against his shoulder. His breath came out as a hiss, eyes scrunched up from the pain he felt in his shoulder. His glasses were filthy, hence his constant tripping, but he couldn't be bothered to clean them. How they managed to even stay on his face through the whole 'almost drowning' thing he had no clue, and he honestly didn't care.

He wasn't walking anywhere in particular; the only think he knew for sure was that he had to go the opposite direction of the Firewall. He couldn't go back, not after what he had done. Jack had seen him snap, in the end, it was Mark himself who had scared Jack more than Sky ever would.

"What have I done?" he whispered to himself for what had to be the twentieth time "what have I _done?_ "

As if he had begged nature to punish him as well, lightning soon cracked overhead, compelling him to tilt his head back into order to see the dark storm that then proceeded to dump rain onto him, as if he wasn't already wet enough.

He frowned up at the sky as droplets of water began to gather on his glasses. He soon shook his head and continued walking, glancing around for signs of a nearby patrol. After seeing none, he summoned his Warftache Wings and flew off into the dark sky. Flying during a thunderstorm had to be one of the more stupid things he could be doing right now, but right now he didn't give a damn.

" _Smite me, see if I care!_ " Mark mentally challenged the world as he continued to fly, heading towards the mountain range that surrounded their known world.

Their universe was oddly compact due to the range of black mountains that surrounded them in a massive ring, and Mark was all to familiar with them due to his frequent patrols into the outer ring. They stood much taller than the mountains near the Wasteland, their peaks vanishing into the clouds, and were so tall that even daring flyers like Vanoss couldn't fly over them. Then again, no one really tried due to one massive problem.

The mountains were covered in a blood red haze, a thick mist that loomed over the black structures all the way around, and from within this mist the Viruses lurked. They were surrounded by it, no escape, and no way to get rid of it. Luckily, it took an extremely long time for the Viruses to build up enough strength to become a major challenge; the problem was that several have been laying in wait for years.

This place was called the Mist due to the massive amounts of red mist, which had seemingly no origin or showed any sign of stopping. It was too thick to see though, and the smell alone was awful, like a Virus itself.

Mark landed on the ground a full mile away, blinking as he saw that there were a distinct lack of Viruses around. Usually, weaker ones came out in a pitiful attempt of fighting, and they weren't that hard to kill, but today, within the storm, there was nothing. Mark was almost disappointed; he had nothing to take his anger out on. He clenched his fists, glaring down at his feet through the dark rain, lightning illuminating his wings, which were faintly glowing through the rain.

He suddenly began to yell up at the sky, his red hair suddenly glowing like fire as he launched up off the ground, bursting through the cloud layer almost immediately since he was going so fast. Once up in the sky, he began to let out his rage to its full extent. He thrashed around, yelling like a madman as spun around in circles, his hair still glowing, and soon it began the thrash around as if it was an actual flame, fire springing up from Mark's hands, casting a fiery glow into the clouds.

 **…**

Sky stood on the Firewall, staring out to the south where the large body of water resided. Through the rain, he could see several flashes of red light far away in the distance, almost turning both the lightning and rain red. He immediately recognized it, his throat tightening as he knew what a dangerous situation Mark was in.

"Flying? Now? He's just begging to get struck by lightning…"

Sky blinked and turned to see Felix walking up to stand next to him, also not bothering to avoid the pouring rain "if he stays out there like that any longer, I'll have to send someone after him…" he murmured, barely audible over the thunder.

Sky hesitated before looking at him in the eye "you ruined everything, you know" the words tumbled out "you shouldn't have brought me up there, I-"

"Jack needed to see" Felix cut him off, his blue eyes barely visible through the storm "he needed to see just how conflicted Mark was."

"You gambled!" Sky was astonished, eyes wide "did you _know_ Mark would attack Vanoss like that?"

"No…" Felix sighed and broke eye contact "to be honest, that caught me off guard."

"I think you owe Vanoss and apology…" Sky tried to say jokingly as he looked back out at the red lights flashing through the clouds, trying his best to remain happy, but he was beginning to fail "it's… God damn it Felix, I can't do it" Sky started to shake his head, covering his eyes with his hands "I can't do this right now, I need to blow off steam, I-"

"Agh! Wait! Don't go!"

Both Sky and Felix jumped out of fright as MatPat suddenly emerged from the staircase, stumbling over his own feet as he went up to them "V-Vanoss is recovering now…" He gasped "b-but I can't find Jack anywhere! He ran off somewhere after Vanoss told him about Mark!"

"What?" Felix turned to look at him "well, keep looking for him! He can't go out in this storm! He hasn't gotten his weapons yet!"

"I know! I know! Everyone else is working on that! But I actually need Sky right now!"

"Huh?" Sky looked over MatPat, who was trying to shield himself from the rain, but he was failing miserably.

"Th-This is for something entirely different!" MatPat shouted over the rain "I need you in my lab! Right now!" he turned to run down the stairs, looking back up at Sly expectantly "come on! I actually _need_ you!"

Sky shared a confused glance with Felix before hurrying after him; he could hear Felix following close behind as they eventually reached the bottom of the stairs. MatPat was quick in opening the door to his building, holding it open so all three of them could slip inside at once. Sky shook his head, flicking water from his curly hair as MatPat practically _fell_ onto his screens, digging through them wildly until he found a rather big one and dragged it over to Sky "h-here! Look!" He set the screen down in front of him; eyes wide "tell me what you make of this!"

Sky blinked and squinted at the screen, wiping water droplets off of his glasses so he could actually see it. A faint map of their world residing on it, landmarks and other regions labeled with bright green text "is… Is this the Virus scanner?" he asked "Mark and Vanoss are more familiar with this thing than I am…"

"It's not a Virus that has me freaking out" MatPat suddenly dragged his finger across the screen, making it zoom in on the south, right near the ring of mountains from where the Viruses came from "see that signal? That symbolizes Mark; AI can also show up on this scanner…"

"Mark? So he's just blowing off steam near the Viruses? What's wrong with that?" Sky frowned at MatPat "and why do _I_ need to see this?"

"Because there's something else… _Look!_ " MatPat scrolled the screen down some more, focusing on the mountains themselves "right there, you see that signal?"

"Isn't that just a Virus?"

" _No!_ That's the thing! I _can't_ tell what it is!" MatPat exclaimed, throwing his hands out to the side "I've never seen it before! It's not a Virus and it's not one of us! But… It's AI, look!" he pointed at it, comparing it to Mark's signal "see the comparison?"

"Again, why me?" Sky crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I don't see why you need Sky, ether" Sky had actually forgotten that Felix was standing next to him.

"You're the head of _Character Attendance_ , and the only conclusion I can think of is that this thing is a Character!" MatPat looked up at Sky with wide eyes "I need you to tell me which Character it is, so we can notify their Summoner and call it back!"

"Eh? Why would a Character be out in the Mist _alone?"_

"I don't know!" MatPat cried, suddenly sounding desperate "now hurry! Before it gets killed or something!"

Sky flinched at that, realizing the actual gravity of the situation. The Mist was a dangerous place, strictly prohibited even for Experts. Viruses of all sizes lived there, and survival was not guaranteed "a-alright! Alright! Just give me a second!" Sky touched the signal on the screen, his eyes scanning over the code that immediately popped up.

 **…**

" _FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!_ "

Mark was still letting out his fiery rage, screaming at the top of his lungs _"FUCKY FUCKY FUCKY YOU!"_ he roared as he let out a final blast, pouring every ounce of his rage into the fireball that began to practically consume the storm around him. He continued yelling even after the fireball had dissipated, leaving a massive hole in the storm clouds, shedding the light of the late afternoon onto his writhing body.

Mark went limp, hovering within this circle of blue sky as he fought to breath. He was panting as he slowly floated down to solid ground, the moment his feet touched the ground he ended up falling forward and onto his knees. His wings disappeared in a flurry of pink pixels, and as they vanished tears began to roll down Mark's face, an ugly sob soon following. He punched the ground in front of him; eyes squeezed shut as the tears kept coming "why… Why!?" he yelled aloud as he continued to punch the soggy earth in between his knees "why me!? Why any of this!? What did I do!?"

The storm overhead had begun to fade away, Mark's powerful fireball apparently doing more damage than he actually thought, but Mark didn't notice; he didn't even care.

 _"FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!"_ he continued his previous swearing, hurting himself as he was punching the mud so violently _"I… FUCKING… HATE… EVERYTHING!"_

 **…**

Sky stared at the screen for a rather long time, narrowing his eyes "what… What the hell is this?" he suddenly whispered, grabbing the screen with both hands.

"Huh? What?" MatPat exchanged looks with Felix "what's wrong?"

"This… This is…" Sky suddenly developed a look of pure terror, eyes nearly bulging out of his skull as he began to back away from the screen "oh… Oh god…"

"Sky?" MatPat backed away as Sky suddenly grabbed the screen once more, frantically flicking his finger across the screen so both Mark's and the unknown signal could be seen at once "oh… oh no…" he shuddered, mouth wide "ohhh nonono _noooo…_ "

"Sky!? What's going on!?" Felix raised his voice in hopes of catching Sky's attention, but at that point Sky was already sprinting away.

"H-Hey! Come back!" MatPat ran after him, blinking to see that the storm had suddenly begun to dissipate, the rain nothing more than a faint drizzle. Sky was already running up the stairs to the Firewall, paying no attention to MatPat.

"The hell…?" Felix muttered as Sky vanished from sight, presumably from jumping off to the world below "he's going south…"

"Towards Mark?" MatPat glanced back at the screen, frowning to see that it was still displaying both of the signals "but why? What did he see?"

As the two of them turned to awkwardly look at each other, there was movement from behind MatPat's lab, hidden in the shadows so they wouldn't notice their presence. Jack gulped as he had heard their conversation, how Mark was south and how Sky was apparently racing over to go see him. He quietly summoned Sam "do you think Mark is in trouble?" he whispered, holding the eye close "Sky sounded pretty freaked out…" he frowned "I'm still mad at him, don't forget that… But…" he closed his eyes, Vanoss's words echoing throughout his mind.

 _"Y-You're all he has…"_

"I can't just sit back and let him get hurt, no matter how stupid he has been…" Jack tucked Sam into the pocket of his hoodie before taking off into a dead sprint, flashing by MatPat and Felix so quickly that they couldn't see and stop him. He ran right up the stairs after Sky, practically flying off of the wall before anyone could do so much as protest.

" _Okay, now, Sam!_ " Jack shouted as the ground rushed up to meet him, the eye within his hoodie suddenly beginning to glow, changing shape under Jack's command. He felt the breath get knocked out of him as Sam suddenly grew in size, becoming gigantic and acting as a pillow for Jack. He screamed despite his loss of breath as he was bounced back up into the air, shouting bursting along the Firewall as he fell back down onto Sam.

"O-Ow! Ow!" Jack cried as he rolled off of Sam and onto the wet dirt, quickly making him shrink and tucking him away into his hoodie pocket before running off in the direction that was south "S-Speed is key!" he whispered as he summoned one of the few items he could at this point, a green skateboard with a large septic eye drawn on the underside of the board, each wheel painted to look like an eye as well.

He jumped on and kicked at the ground, unlocking the immense speed that the skateboard provided so he could get away faster. It was in the board's code to go unusually fast without much of a boost. It wasn't as fast as flying, but it was all Jack had in hopes of catching up with Sky " _and so I can avoid getting caught…"_ Jack added to himself as he shot across the ground, the world around him flashing by as a blur due to him going so fast.

 **…**

Mark eventually collapsed fully onto the ground, eyes half open as he stared at the world. He blinked slowly as he took in the sight, which had been flipped ninety degrees since his head was turned to the side and pushed up against the ground. He lay there, still panting and still crying, but by now his sobs had gone silent.

"Maybe if I lay here long enough, I'll eventually disappear…" Mark muttered aloud as he closed his eyes "sooner or later, a Virus will come along… Maybe they won't even notice me, maybe they'll just step on my and crush me to death… Maybe I'll get eaten whole… Maybe…"

 _Clank…_

"Eh?" Mark opened one eye.

 _Clank… Clank…_

"What the hell is that?" Mark pushed himself into a kneeling position, his gaze wandering over the area as he tried to find the source of the oddly mechanical sound.

 _Clank… Clank… Clank…_

"The fuck…?" Mark stood up, turning to look back at the Mist, where the sound appeared to be the loudest.

 _Clank… Clank… Clank… Clank…_

"What… What the shit?" Mark took a step back as something suddenly began to walk out from The Mist, its form mostly hidden by the red haze as it jostled side to side with each step, the odd sound in sync with its walking cycle. He turned to face it, eyes wide as its true features began to emerge from The Mist.

 **…**

Jack looked up at the rather tall and steep hill that separated him from where he assumed Mark was. He had seen Sky go in this direction, so he could only assume it was the right way to go. The hill wasn't technically a mountain, but it was still pretty tall. There were several other hills adjacent to it, most of them smaller, but going around would be time consuming. Felix would have no doubt sent a flyer after him by now.

"Screw it! Over we go! _All the way!"_ Jack shouted to Sam as they begun to shoot up the hillside, the skateboard being surprisingly durable against the rough terrain, but the wheels were beginning to catch on loose rocks and whatnot, jostling them every now and then _"s-shoot! This isn't ideal skateboard turf!"_ Jack thought as they almost flipped over " _I-I have to be_ really _careful-"_

Just as he thought that, the front of his board suddenly struck a rather large rock that jutted out of the ground, halting the board in its tracks, but since Jack wasn't directly connected to it, he kept on going. He screamed as he and Sam were thrown off and sent tumbling onto the ground, the skateboard dissolving into green pixels just as they came to a rest right at the top of the hill.

Jack groaned, laying still for a few seconds before reaching into his hoodie pocket and pulling out Sam "you alright bud-" he started to say before a sudden hand curled around his mouth, making him let out a muffled scream as he and Sam were suddenly dragged backwards and behind a rather large rock.

"Shut up, Jack!" a familiar voice suddenly growled at him, making him freeze "quit squirming and get down!"

"S-Sky?" Jack said through the rather strong hand that was muffling his voice "wh-what are you-"

"You shouldn't have followed me" Sky scolded him, his voice toned down to an angry whisper "this isn't safe for you, you need to get out of here!"

"F-Fhhook thawt!" Jack's voice continued to be muffled through Sky's hand "Meerk's my- HHMMPHH!" Jack let out a muffled screech as Sky suddenly pinched him on the neck as hard as humanly possible "o-oww!"

"Quit struggling or I'm going to get frustrated!" Sky snapped, sounding desperate "and you _know_ what happens when I get frustrated!"

Jack fell still at that, eyes going wide as he remembered Sky's mood switches. He kept his mouth shut, hoping that Sky wouldn't tip over the edge. Luckily, Sky managed to keep his calm, and eventually released Jack's mouth "stay quiet" he whispered before standing up so he could peek out from over the rock, keeping one hand securely clamped down onto Jack's arm so he couldn't leave and do something stupid.

After a long period of silence, Sky glanced down at Jack "take a look, but don't make a sound" he whispered urgently, eyes narrowed "got it?"

Jack slowly nodded, wincing as Sky pulled him up so he was standing on shaky legs. He held Sam close to himself with the arm Sky wasn't holding as he peeked out from behind Sky, eye growing wide as he did so.

 **…**

"What the absolute fuck?" Mark sputtered as the mechanical sounding figure walked almost casually up to him, stopping a few feet away from him, but even then Mark had to crane his neck back since this extremely weird creature was a full foot taller than him.

Mark let his gaze wander slowly, blinking rapidly as he saw why it had made such a weird noise while walking. Its entire structure was covered in an odd coating of sorts, almost like a suit, with separate parts for the joints and different sections of its arms, legs, and midsection. From in between the gaps of said suit Mark could see mechanical parts making up its joints, so he could only assume even more machinery lay hidden underneath.

"What a weird looking robot…" Mark muttered aloud as he took in its external features, which were in the very least _disturbing_. The face of this robot was covered with a mask of sorts, made of the same material the rest of its coverings were. It took Mark a second to realize that the mask was supposed to resemble a bear's head.

"Jesus Christ…" Mark walked closer to the bear-robot thing, closely examining the coverings of its machinery as well as the accessories it bore. There were three decorations in total: a microphone grasped within one of its massive paw-like hands, a black bowtie that resided right near the top of its chest, and a black top hat that adored its head, sticking up from in between the robot's two round ears.

Mark blinked as he noticed that the robot had two sapphire blue eyes, both of which watching him closely, following him as he walked around it, both other than that, it was motionless.

"What kind of game did you even come from?" Mark looked at the robot in the eye, blinking rapidly as he suddenly realized something "h-hey! Wait a second! You're a Character! Why were you in The Mist!?" Mark stepped to the side so he can look where it had emerged "don't tell me your Summoner went in there!?" Mark turned to give it a frantic look "did you come out for help!? Do you know if they are still alive!?"

Mark stood there, tensing up in means of preparing himself in case he needed to jump into the Mist in order to save their supposedly injured Summoner, however the robot gave no signs of distress and continued to look him "wh-what? No? Then… What were you doing in there!? It's dangerous! _I'm_ not even allowed to go in there unless it's absolutely necessary!"

Once again, the robot gave no attempt to communicate with him and just continued to blankly stare in his direction. Mark frowned and crossed his arms "are you just adventurous? You're lucky enough to get out of there unharmed" he sighed, shaking his head "just… Get back to the Firewall, your Summoner must be worried sick about you!"

Again, the robot did not react in any way, and Mark began to grow frustrated "well? Go on! Get! Go home!" He began to wave his arms around, trying to shoo the robotic bear off "shoo! Shoo! What are you waiting for!" he snapped "at least _you_ have someone waiting for you there!"

 **…**

" _What am I looking at?"_ Was all Jack could think as he looked down the other side of the hill, Mark standing quite a ways away and Jack could barely see that he was waving his arms around, supposedly yelling at someone else. Due to the great distance, Jack couldn't make out who was standing by Mark. The only reason he recognized Mark at all was because of his voice. Jack glanced at Sky, hoping to get an answer of some sort, but he ended up doing a double take upon seeing Sky's facial expression.

His face was contorted, his lips slightly parted, revealing gritted teeth. His brown eyes were gigantic, and his entire body was shaking violently as if he was caught in a snow storm. Jack could practically _hear_ Sky's teeth chattering as he continued to watch the two figures, he looked utterly _terrified_.

"S-Sky?" Jack heard himself whisper, hoping he wasn't going to fall into a fit of rage "a-are you...?"

"H-He needs to get out of there…" Sky suddenly gasped, not even looking at Jack "he needs to run away… To… To…"

"Sky, what's _wrong?_ " Jack hesitated before gently touching his shoulder, surprised to see that Sky didn't even react at all, as if Jack wasn't even there "Sky, talk to me!"

Sky suddenly turned to look at Jack, making the younger AI flinch as the look itself was haunting. Jack could practically feel a chill running up his spine as Sky continued to look at him "it's not right, it's not… Not…" Sky began to trail off, his irises dilating "it's not normal!" his voice suddenly returned, scaring Jack into flinching away from him due to the immense volume of his voice "It's… _Horrifying!_ "

 **…**

Mark put his hands on his hips as the robot continued to remain motionless, peeving him ever so slightly "look pal, just because I'm not your Summoner, that doesn't mean you can't just ignore me!" he jabbed a finger at its chest, just below its bowtie "I'm done playing nice, now I'm giving you a direct order! _Go home!_ Before you get _killed!_ "

Mark's frown grew into a full on scowl as the bear kept still, it's blank stare still locked onto him "oh come on! I know you understand me! Characters can understand English, I know they can! I don't have to be your Summoner to get my words through to you!" he crossed his arms and turned his back to the bear "keep up that rebellious nature and you'll be dead in no time flat! You don't stand a chance against those Viruses if you're not compatible!"

He threw a final glance back at the bear "so go on! Go home! Go find your Summoner-"

Mark couldn't finish his sentence as something suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision, catching him off guard since it went by so fast. He blinked rapidly and instinctually turns towards it, immediately regretting that decision as a microphone suddenly came slamming down onto his face.

He couldn't even make a sound as his head was thrust to the side from the impact, eyes and mouth wide open as he was sent sprawling back, hitting the ground with an ungraceful thud, knocking the wind out of him and rendering him motionless out of shock. Mark eventually found his breath and looked up to see that the robotic bear had closed the distance in between them, standing over him with a sudden intimidation that made Mark shudder violently. The sting of the blow was distant to him now as he saw something that made him freeze, mouth open stupidly as he looked upon the bear's face,

Its two eyes had changed drastically, the whiteness of each round orb had mysteriously turned pitch black, and both its pupils and irises had gone a ghostly white, seemingly glowing against the blackness that they now stood against. Mark barely had the time to even comprehend what he was seeing before the bear violently reared back its arm, the microphone swinging down once more, directed towards Mark's head.

Mark gasped, breaking free of his shock so he could roll out of the way, wincing as he felt it swing by his head, generating a rather loud _fwoosh_ indicating how much force had been behind the attack. Mark scrambled to his feet, backing away from this seemingly emotionless robot as it recovered from its failed attack and continued to pursue him " _it… It attacked me!_ " Mark staggered backwards his head spinning from the rather painful bow, his eyes widening as he saw it rear back once again " _i-it's_ still _attacking me!_ "

 **…**

Jack covered his mouth out of shock as he saw Mark get whacked across the face and sent sprawling to the ground, the mood of the situation changing into something much more sinister as the advancing figure sent down another attack, a clearly disoriented Mark just barely dodging the violent strike "o-oh my god! Ma-"

Jack yelped as Sky suddenly grabbed him by the hood of his outer layer and yanked him down onto the ground, his hand going to clamp down over his mouth once again "Jack, shut up!" he hissed "y-you can't let it see us!"

Jack stared up at him with wide eyes, breathing hard as Sky kept him pinned to the ground. His brown eyes were ablaze with some sort of emotion that Jack couldn't describe an odd mixture of fear and something else that looked foreign on Sky's face. He wasn't angry, not even close. His hands trembling against Jack's mouth, the rest of his figure ridged despite the shakiness of his hands. Jack didn't struggle so Sky wouldn't get frustrated, but something told him that Sky couldn't get mad even if he tried, he looked too _afraid_ to feel anything else.

Jack let out a whimper of protest through the weight Sky was pushing down over his lips, but otherwise he didn't move. Sky slowly looked away, shuddering violently as he looked back down at the scene unfurling below them "J-Jack, I don't know what it is…" he struggled to keep his voice even, pausing so he could find his breath and the following words "b-but… It's dangerous… Jack, it's _powerful…_ "

 **…**

Mark wheezed out a moan of pain as the microphone managed to clip the side of his head, knocking him off to the side. The world went white for a split second before Mark found himself face first in the dirt, his ears ringing and face throbbing with pure agony. He groaned before trying to get up, only to get the breath knocked out of him by a jarring kick to the ribs. Due to the loss of air, he could only open his mouth in a silent scream as he rolled with the kick, getting covered in a large quantity of drying mud in the processes.

He eventually stopped rolling, ending up on his back, looking up at the sky through squinted eyes as he attempted to move despite the protest of his body. He let out an ego degrading whimper of pain before managing to prop himself up on an elbow, reaching over with his other hand so he could brace the ground and push himself up into a standing position, staggering as he almost lost his balance and fell before he could even straighten up all the way.

He felt his face, shocked to see that as he pulled his hand away, a few smears of blood came with them. That last blow to his face had split open the skin along his jaw line, and now a small rivulet of blood was trickling down his neck and onto his chest, staining the shirt he wore underneath his red flannel.

His eyes flickered from the blood on his fingers to the approaching bear, which had not stopped its pursuit, and didn't appear to intend stopping anytime soon. Mark found himself scowling, breathing hard as he straitened his posture, clenching his fists as the red of his hair began to glow, rising up as if it was a flame "y-you picked the wrong AI to mess with, buddy!" he snapped, rearing back an arm as pink pixels began to fly out from under his nose, wrapping around his arm in means of forming his dangerous claw hands, which he then used to punch the bear right in its chest, red flames suddenly erupting from his hair and wrapping around the pink talon mid swing. Fire shot out from his pink fist, engulfing the bear with its raging heat until Mark couldn't even see it anymore. He held the punch in place for a few seconds before relaxing and pulling away, the fire dissipating almost immediately "h-how's that for size you-"

He didn't have time to finish as the microphone was suddenly thrust through the fading flames, striking him right in between the eyes and sending him falling backward, eyes squeezed shut and mouth wide open as he collapsed, his contorted face suddenly relaxing as he hit the ground, the ringing in his ears becoming distant as he the world around him began to fade away to black.

 **…**

Jack blinked rapidly as Sky released his grip on him and stood up, suddenly alert as he put a hand on the rock he was looking over, and just at that moment Jack could hear Mark yelling off in the distance.

" _H-He's fighting back!_ " Jack smiled a bit, rolling over so he could push himself up " _that basterd won't even know what hit him-_ "

"Stay down!" Sky suddenly hissed, grabbing Jack by the front of his hoodie before pushing him back down onto the ground, making the younger AI look up at him with wide eyes "If you start screaming, it'll hear us!"

"What? _Screaming?_ " Jack whispered in response, eyes widening "wh-why would I be screaming? Mark's gonna kick it's ass, right?"

Sky didn't respond to that, looking back at the fight with a contorted face.

" _Right?_ " Jack repeated, beginning to grow worried "Sky? Sky! Answer me!"

"Listen to me Jack" Sky suddenly knelt down so he was in front of him "Mark's not going to be able to beat that thing, not like this, _none_ of us will… We need to get him out of here, we can't wait for backup" he grabbed Jack by the shoulders, startling him "This might be suicide, but I'm going to distract him, alright?" his voice dropped down to a low growl, eyes hardening with a sudden determination "now you listen to me, and you listen to me well. The moment I attack, you grab Mark and you _run_. You hear me? No matter what, you _run_. Use your Characters if you need to, but don't attack it. Don't even look at it. Don't stop to see if I managed to get away. Okay?"

"I… I…" Jack could only stare at him, mouth falling agape at this sudden change of Sky's attitude. The fear was still very present, but something was off, something that Sky wasn't telling him.

"Repeat after me!" Sky suddenly snapped "go, grab, run!" he shook Jack by the shoulders "go grab run! _Got it!?_ "

"G-Go, grab, run!" Jack squeaked, mostly out of fear " _go, grab, run!"_

"Good! _Now do it!_ " Sky then grabbed the rock they were hiding behind and hauled himself up and over it, vanishing from sight. Jack sat there on the ground for a split second before tucking Sam into the pocket of his hoodie and doing the same, mouth falling agape as he saw what Sky had gotten so serious about.

He raced down the hill as fast as he could; eyes locked onto Mark, who was down on the ground near the base of the hill, motionless even as Sky suddenly appeared from above, a high pitched yowl of sorts escaping his lips as his golden sword came into view, directed towards the figure that had started the fight. Jack did his best to keep the attack out of his vision, focusing solely on Mark as he finally reached the unconscious AI.

"M-Mark! _Mark!_ " Jack frantically grabbed at his shoulders, shuddering as he saw that Mark had a somewhat large gash along his chin, blood slowly oozing down his neck and chest. It took him a moment to refocus on the situation, and when he did, he pulled at Mark's shoulder's, dragging him up so his arm draped across his shoulders. Jack huffed as Mark's muscular weight made his knees shake, but despite that he began to drag Mark away, breathing hard from the effort it took.

 _"Don't even look at it. Don't stop to see if I managed to get away. Okay?"_

Jack squeezed his eyes shut as Sky's words echoed throughout his mind, fear gripping his heart like an insidious claw as the progress they were making was agonizingly slow. He shuddered out of fear, but soon stopped and blinked as he saw a nearby river curving around one of the many hills that were behind them. Jack immediately started to drag Mark over to it as he raised an arm, closing his eyes shut as he focused on the Characters he had managed to unlock up until that point.

He wheezed as he felt the effort it took, looking up just in time to see a rather tall figure take form in front of him, a hooded cloak covering their body and casting shadows over their face. They stood upon a floating wooden board of sorts, strange dog-like paws coming out from underneath it, and a dog's face stuck out from the board's front " _h-help!_ " he gave Mark's rather peaceful looking face a final glance before dumping him onto the floating board, quickly climbing on after him "t-take us back to the Firewall, Riverman!"

Almost immediately he said that, the board turned and began to float away above the river, the dog legs underneath performing the motions of running even though they were far up off the ground. Jack held Mark down against the board so he wouldn't slide off.

" _Tra la la. Tri li li. Tre le le."_

Jack blinked rapidly before glancing up at the Riverman, who had turned back slightly to look at him. Jack bit his lip, closing his eyes as he heard his voice in his own mind. That was the glory of the connection between Character and Summoner; the fact that they could communicate in such a secret way. The voice was comforting, soothing, but it made Jack's heart twist as he opened his eyes to look back down at Mark.

The Korean was obviously beat up, his face bruised and still bleeding. Jack bit his lip before lifting up his shirt, looking for more wounds. He shuddered as he saw a lengthy bruise decorating his ribs on the right side. Jack dropped the shirt and began wiping the blood off of Mark's face and neck, wincing as more just oozed out to replace it. He pressed the palm of his hand against the wound, applying pressure onto it as they floated over the river.

" _Tra la la. The waters are wild today. That's good luck…"_

Jack frowned as the Riverman kept sending him mental messages "good luck? I have yet to see it…" he whispered, almost to himself as he looked up to watch the world flash by, the large lake near the Firewall slowly coming into view, where all the rivers led.

" _Take us across the lake, then you can go back to the Antechamber_ " Jack thought to the Riverman, who gave a small nod in response before taking them out over the large body of water. It was then that Jack realized what Vanoss had meant, how addicting the voices could be. He shuddered, gripping Mark's flannel with trembling hands " _how could he live without this?_ " Jack looked over Mark's relaxed and bloody face " _after all this time… He's been faking it?_ "

" _Mark was right…"_ Jack found himself thinking " _I… I_ do _feel terrible_ … _I feel…_ _privileged…_ "

He froze up as he saw a rather large bruise across the side of his face, while one would see it as a result from the previous fight, Jack could only see it as where he had slapped him up in Felix's apartment.

Jack let his head fall down and onto Mark's chest, an ugly sob escaping him as he gripped his flannel even tighter, tears slipping out and falling to darken Mark's bloody shirt, his breath coming out in lengthy heaves as he fought for breath, choking on his own breath as he cried. The Riverman said nothing and continued to steer the floating board, letting Jack cry and ponder his actions in peace.

Eventually, Jack found himself sitting up, sniffling as he wiped the tears from his eyes "oh god… Mark I'm so sorry…" he quietly whispered, looking over his unconscious figure one more time before looking away, unable to even look at his face and the mark he had left. It felt so long ago, but Jack knew it had only happened recently.

He was jarred from his self loathing as he heard commotion from up ahead, rousing him from his curled position just in time to see something approaching from the Firewall, which loomed tall even though it was far off in the distance. He let out a wary sigh before gathering Mark up into his arms, the Riverman slowing down as the shore of the lake was approaching.

With a huff, Jack jumped off and pulled Mark with him, his feet hitting the damp sand with a soft thud. He gave a grateful nod to the Riverman before letting him return to his Antechamber. As the green pixels disappeared, Jack hauled Mark's arm back over his shoulder and continued dragging him back to the wall, the approaching object from before finally coming into view.

Jack let out a wary snort of laughter as the incredibly long yellow and green bus rolled up to him, stopping just next to him. The words " _Bannana Bus_ " were painted onto the side of it with large white letters. He watched it come to a stop, glancing down at Mark once more before trudging over to meet the driver and passengers of the bus.


	16. Chapter 17

**I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE VIDEO GAME CHARACTERS WITHIN THIS STORY. THEY RIGHTFULLY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS. THE REASON WHY THIS MESSAGE IS EVEN HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE IS BECAUSE THIS WEBSITE DOES NOT HAVE A "CROSSOVER WITH EVERYTHING" TAB, SINCE THAT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE IRRATIONAL.  
**

 **THIS WILL BE THE LAST TIME THAT THIS MESSAGE WILL BE ADDED DUE TO IT'S ANNOYING REPETITIVENESS.**

If there was anything Sky hated other than his uncontrolled mental shifts and _squids_ , it was the feeling of being upside down. When the blood within his veins would flow down to his head, when his curly hair would fall to tickle the bridge of his nose, and worst of all, the fact that whenever he was upside down, he rarely had control over his body. Otherwise he wouldn't have been in such a position in the first place. Long story short, it was something he had grown to loath.

So when Sky woke up to find himself falling victim to all three of those unpleasant sensations, his first jumbled thought was along the lines of: " _I must be hanging off the edge of my bed, that or I'm strung up in a tree."_

Yet that muddled thought was abruptly shoved out of the way as Sky suddenly became aware that his arms were hanging down in front of him, and he could tell just from the feel of it that they were swaying side to side.

Sky frowned, grimacing as a sudden ache traveled throughout his head, a raspy moan escaping from his lips as he pulled up one of his dangling arms and gingerly rubbed his right temple. Sky's eyes were still closed; he had awoken with them shut for whatever reason he couldn't care to ponder about at the moment. Now that he was becoming more and more aware, Sky was beginning to feel pain all throughout his body. It wasn't sharp like a fractured bone or dislocated joint, but more like a dull, lazy ache, one of the many hints at exhaustion that Sky had become quite familiar with. This was the pain of a previous battle, and with a jolt he remembered the details of such battle.

Then there was the noise, the odd sound that Sky was now just becoming aware of. It was a simple noise, something easily describable, and that description could only be that of a _clank_. It was repetitive and mechanical, and now that Sky was paying attention it seemed to be in _sync_ with the swaying motion he was experiencing.

Sky's eyes shot wide open, causing his headache to worsen to the point of making his eyes water, yet he barely noticed the discomfort. All of his attention was directed to the image before him, and to put it simply, it was _brown_.

The swaying sensation, the aching pain, the unusual noises, they were all coming together into one big, ugly, _brown_ picture. Sky's breath quickened, but he didn't dare make a sound. He stayed as still as possible, eyes locked onto the brown surface his face was less than an inch away from. He hesitantly moved his hand from his temple to the surface, shocked to find that it was actually _fuzzy_ to the touch despite the mechanical sounds it produced.

Sky then realized what a stupid mistake that was and yanked his hand away, his breath hitching as he actually heard something, an odd sound coming from the musty-smelling thing. Sky's eyes went huge as a groaning sound met his ears, as if someone was inside this fuzzy, mechanical structure, yet from his current view he could just barely make out a gap of sorts, which appeared to be the separation between the fuzzy coverings, and through that dark gap he could only see the reflections of metal. It was entirely mechanical on the inside, yet it groaned. It groaned, and groaned, and continued groaning even as Sky shut his eyes tightly in attempt to shut it out. While this happened, the swaying and clanking did not stop.

It was now that Sky realized what position he was currently in. Only the front of his body was hanging, mostly because he was _slung over this thing's shoulder_.

" _It's going to kill me… It's taking me away to murder me…_ " Sky found himself hyperventilating, stupidly grabbing at the fuzzy coverings in front of him " _I… I know what I saw… Within its code… this thing will_ …"

That was when Sky thought " _screw it"_ and began to full on struggle, fighting for freedom against the mechanical housing that kept him pinned against this shoulder. A hoarse cry of sorts escaped his lips, an odd mixture of terror and determination as Sky found himself sliding forward ever so slightly in response to his struggle, giving him a faint sense of relief.

However, that relief was stomped down as Sky felt a sudden tug on the back of his shirt, which turned into a _very_ violent pull that dragged him upward. Sky screamed as he was pulled up and over the shoulder and was then released so that he was sent sprawling to the ground.

As his back hit the grass, the breath was knocked out of him and he was rendered temporarily motionless due to shock. After a few seconds, Sky regained his breath and propped himself up onto his elbows. His mouth fell agape as the bright sun overhead was blotted out by a towering silhouette; two blue irises standing out against the darkness.

Sky immediately screamed once more and attempted to jump to his feet, yet as he did so, his feet slipped on the foot tall grass and he fell right back down. Sky gritted his teeth and rolled onto his stomach before grabbing at the tall grass in a frantic manner, trying to pull himself up and away from the figure.

 _Clank, clank, clank…_

"N-No!" Sky howled as he tried to stand once more, yet fate was not merciful in the slightest as evident by the way he went crashing down once again.

 _Clank, clank, clank…_

Memories of what he had seen within its code flashed through his mind like lightning both sweat and tears accumulating as he continued to crawl away. His body shook violently as the clanking grew louder and louder. He looked up desperately at the sky as if looking for a sign, but all he got was a rather shocking and unexpected sight.

 _Clank, clank, clank…_

The Firewall loomed overhead in all of its protective glory, dark against the glare of the sun. Sky gaped up at it, his crawling had ceased as he wondered how the hell he didn't notice it before now. It was less than a mile away, and it also explained why the grass was now so tall and green. Since there weren't as many fights this close to the wall, the grass was left to grow in peace, hence its apparent health.

" _Wh…Why am I here?_ " Sky thought " _I… I was at the_ Mist…"

 _Clank, clank, clank…_

As Sky heard that chilling noise, he suddenly realized it. He knew why this thing was here. He didn't understand why it had brought him with it, yet Sky knew very well what it intended to do.

"N…No!" Sky snapped, finally leaping to his feet and staying there, turning to look up at the robotic bear that was now just inches away, stopping in its noisy tracks as their chests grew awfully close to one another. They stood less than an inch apart; Sky's chocolate brown eyes glaring up at the blue irises that stared back with an apparent liveliness that they _shouldn't_ posses.

"To…To get to them... To get to my friends…" Sky began, fists clenched and teeth bared in a ferocious snarl "you… You have to get through me! You… You… Overgrown, metal-ass teddy bear!"

He knew then that he had just signed his death certificate. Sky gave this monster one final look before squeezing his eyes shut, holding his breath as he waited for the final blow that would end his life.

 _Clank…_

 _"S-SKY!"_

Sky found himself screaming as he was suddenly torn up from his sitting position, hauled up into the air with such ferocity that he was barely able to comprehend that it had even happened. Sky blinked rapidly as his was carried high up into the air so he cleared the top of the wall, only then was he lowered down.

Sky staggered as he was dropped onto the rim on the Firewall, grabbing the railing for support as he nearly did a face-plant onto the ground. He took a shuddering breath, closing his eyes for a second before standing upright and turning to look at his apparent savior "th…Thanks-"

Sky stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of the grey and blue wings that were in the process of folding up against their owner's back. To say the least, Sky was caught off guard, but his shock soon subsided into pure horror "wh-what!? WHAT!? Felix, _what!?"_ He cried, throwing his arms out "you _left_ the _city!?_ "

Felix suddenly developed a look of immense guilt, his eyes darting to the side in means of avoiding Sky's gaze "I… Yes… You needed help and we… We don't have anyone else who's stronger and faster than Mark that's… Functional…"

With a jolt, Sky remembered the state Vanoss had returned in, and how even Mark got his ass handed to him by the bucket of bolts that was the bear "but… But… You left the _city!_ " Sky emphasized, walking forward to grab hold of Felix's shoulders, shaking him around "y-you _know_ what could happen!"

"Yes, yes, I know! I'm very aware of the risks… But…" Felix winced, but didn't stop Sky from shaking him about "y-you know there was logic behind what I did… You're the _only_ one besides Mark, who's still out _cold_ , which can tell us about that thing!"

" _But the CITY!_ "

"The Mist is unusually dormant right now, so I took the opportunity and went as fast as I could! Not only that, but we need you! _I_ need you! You saw something in that code, something that MatPat and the other technology themed AI can't find!" Felix pointed at Sky "did you really expect us to just let out best lead _die?_ "

Sky shuddered at that and released his shoulders "just… Just promise me you won't do that again!"

"You know I always do what I do for a reason."

"W…Whatever…" Sky shook his head side to side before glancing down over the railing. They were so high up that the bear, wherever it was, wasn't even visible anymore "F-Felix, you need to call the patrols back immediately!"

"Wh-what?" that caught Felix off guard "a… a total recall? Over a rouge Character?"

"F-Felix, you w-wanted to know what I saw?" Sky found himself stammering as he pointed down at the world below them "in that thing?"

"Sky-"

"That thing… that thing has code unlike anything I have ever seen" Sky whispered, staring at Felix in a serious manner, making him fall silent "it's powerful, probably the strongest Character in existence, and in its code, that horrible, horrible code, there are two key functions… One of them, I didn't take the time to analyze since I was in such a hurry… But the other…"

Sky suddenly shuddered, developing a look of utter fear "th-the other one… It's simple… Felix, that thing was _naturally coded to kill_…"

 **…**

"Technically, we're _all_ programmed to kill…"

"In _self defense_ " Sky jabbed a finger into the palm of his own hand, trying to drive home his point to a resistant MatPat as well as an on looking Jack and Vanoss, who were observing the spectacle from the bedside of Mark, who was still out cold. Felix was also there, standing back into order to not crowd the arguing AI "this was different, MatPat! Strait down to the core of its code, all I could find was the behavior of a Virus!" Sky held his arms out in order to express his frustration "Malice, anger, _violence_ , it was _all_ there!"

"Yet it was AI? Independent?" MatPat shook his head "and it originated from the Mist? No way, you're _bonkers_ , Sky."

"I'm not crazy! I know what I saw!" Sky pointed out the window "and it's still out there! It may be taking its sweet time strolling over here but that doesn't change the fact that it's _coming!_ "

"Sky…"

"It kicked Mark's _ass!_ "

"He's not wrong" Vanoss meekly spoke up from where he sat, hunched over, still recovering from the physical strain he had endured, MatPat _still_ looked unhappy at the fact that he wasn't currently resting "there was indeed some 'whoopage of da ass' happening…"

"Are…Are yeh delusional or something?" Jack, including everyone else looked over at Vanoss, mildly concerned at his odd use of words "what even _was_ that?"

"I tend to not give a fucking shit when I'm fucking tired" Vanoss muttered, glaring up at everyone Mark, who seemed to be the only person not currently judging him regarding the fact that he was unconscious "plus, all of you were genuinely more weirder than me to begin with, so there."

"Roll back the attitude, Vanoss" Felix's voice had an edge to it.

"Make me" Vanoss tilted his head up and away, snorting as he did so.

"The fook?" Jack looked between Vanoss and Felix, eyes wide "is it just me or did Vanoss just turn into a different person?"

"If I recall, his friends were in here a little while ago… they're a wild, influencal bunch…" MatPat shrugged " _any_ way, Sky, you're over-thinking this! It's impossible for a Character to fit that criteria!"

"Well, how would you know? You're not the head of _Character Attendance!_ "

"I know my way with the code of this world, and the numbers don't back you up!"

"Well, it happened, so maybe the binary needs a check-up!"

"To summarize, we have an ultra powerful Character… With _no_ Summoner… That came from the _Mist_ … And is designed to _kill_ …" MatPat shook his head "that _can't_ exist!"

"You're sounding like a broken record!"

"You are too!"

"Mggh… Sh-Shadd up…"

Everyone jumped and turned from the arguing AI to the bed they stood by, where two eyes were squinting up at them against the apparent light of the room "y-your getting' high pitched…" Mark's voice was slightly slurred as he turned his head side to side, developing some rather nasty bed-head since his hair was being rubbed up against the pillow his head rested on.

It took a second for everyone to properly react to Mark's awakening.

Jack did so by punching him right in between the eyes.

MatPat gasped and Vanoss laughed as Mark yelled from the pain and immediately sat up, reaching up to hold his face where Jack had so suddenly hit him. After a moment, he peeled his hands away and glared up at everyone "wh-who the fuck did that-"

He stopped as he caught sight of Jack, who was standing closest to him, arm still half-extended and hand still tightly curled up into a fist. He was breathing hard, both arms trembling as they both looked at each other, an awkward silence resting heavy in the air.

"Th…That…" Jack finally gasped, tears beginning to form in his eyes "w-was fer _lying_ …"

Everyone including Mark recoiled as Jack suddenly swung his fist up once more, but instead of striking Mark, he ended up punching himself, making his own body jerk back from the painful force. Jack took several steps back before regaining his balance, massaging his now rosy cheek.

"… and th-that… Was fer hitting you…" Jack suddenly sobbed, covering his eyes with both hands "f…fook… That _hurt_ …"

Mark could only stare as Jack then took his hands away from his face, eyes glistening from his accumulating tears "I don't hate you… But… you were _so. Fooking. Stupid…_ "

It was then that Jack lunged forward and wrapped his thin arms around Mark's shoulders, pulling him in for an unexpected hug "I'm so fooking pissed" he muttered through Mark's undershirt "or… at least I was… _Fook_ , you were _right_ … but you still so _fooking stupid!_ "

"What… What just happened?" MatPat looked from the scene of awkward hugging to Felix "I'm so confused… This interaction is going all over the place…"

"S-Screw the awkwardness! We have bigger issues!" Sky burst back into the conversation, startling everyone "that _thing_ is _still_ on its way!" he frantically waved his hands about, eyes wide "it's on a dead march right for us and _NONE_ of you are taking this as seriously as you should!"

"Wh…What?" Mark looked up from Jack's continuing hug "what's going on?"

"Sky's freaking out because he claims the Character originated from the Mist" MatPat shook his head side to side in a hopeless manner "and that it's, like, born to kill or something…"

"Because it's real! Think outside your little box of binary and take an actual look!" Sky was clearly struggling to keep himself from getting angry, his face being contorted yet his eyes were ridiculously wide "just because something doesn't follow your rules of code doesn't mean it's not possible-"

Sky was cut off as there was a sudden flurry of red and black, followed shortly by the yelp of Jack as he was suddenly pushed away and into Vanoss, who had unfortunately decided to stand up right behind him. Everyone else stepped back as Mark was no longer laying in the bed, and was now _standing_ on it. Mark was literally standing strait up on the mattress, his hair brushing the ceiling. Everyone gawked up at his sudden energy, and utterly confused as to why Mark was standing _on the freaking bed_.

"It's coming?" Mark's voice was a weak whisper, directed at a bewildered Sky "that _bear_ is coming? _Here?_ "

With his mouth hanging open, Sky gave him a silent nod. Upon seeing the gesture, Mark's face was quick to drain of all color. He stared down at Sky from his high vantage point for a few seconds before he jumped off the bed "sorry Jack" he suddenly said, glancing back at Jack before walking right out the door "we can resume our little make-up later"

"Wh-What? Make-up? Mark!?" Jack stepped away from Vanoss and began to run after him "wh-where are you going!?"

"Yeah! You just got beat up! Chill-"

"No… I can't" MatPat flinched as Mark cut through his words, his brown eyes unmoving from his intended path "Sky's right, you didn't see what I saw… What it did…"

"B-But…"

"No buts!" Mark snapped, startling everyone once more "I'm not going to let this slide! That _freak_ thinks it can just waltz into our lives and terrorize us!? Hell no! I won't stand for that!" he formed a fist and held it tight to his chest, glaring down the hallway as he continued to storm off, leaving everyone to hurry after him in attempt to hear his words "that little bear bitch won't know what hit him!"

"'B-bear bitch?' B-But… Mark!" Jack cried in protest, hot on his tail "it almost killed yeh!"

"It caught me off guard!"

"Mark! Stop!" Felix suddenly shouted, making everyone freeze in their tracks as his booming voice echoed along the halls "you are _not_ going out there! _That is_ _a direct order!_ "

Everyone accept Mark turned to look at their leader, shocked to hear such a tone coming from him, especially towards _Mark_ of all people. The brown haired Swedish leader and the red haired Korean were tight regarding friendship, and while they had some disagreements from time to time, Felix rarely got seriously mad or even frustrated with him.

"Mark" Felix's voice suddenly dropped down in volume, almost to a whisper "I know you're pissed about what happened… and you're probably looking for a way to vent your anger, but this may be unnecessary…"

Mark tilted his head ever-so-slightly towards Felix, barely glancing at him as he continued "if you truly stand behind Sky's opinion, then I will stand with you. We can approach this carefully, attempt communication, something…"

Felix actually trailed off as Mark suddenly turned his head back so he was facing front "sorry Felix" Mark suddenly said, re-clenching his fist "roast me alive if you want, but-"

"Ohhhh shut _up!_ "

Mark recoiled away as a disoriented and unsteady Vanoss suddenly popped into view, blocking the hallway with his massive wings, which sagged lazily, indicating how exhausted he still was. Despite that, he met Mark's gaze with a challenging gleam in his eyes. His _Owl's Eyes_ were out, shining against the light that poured in from an outside window.

Mark stepped back as Vanoss took a step forward, intimidating even in his deteriorated state "you know, I'm still pretty salty about you breaking a door with my back" he growled, making Mark flinch away "how _ever_ , considering that you _did_ receive a… Non-related punishment of sorts, I think I'll let it slide… _This once_ …" he emphasized, crossing his arms "plus, Jack nailing you in between the eyes was the funniest shit I've seen in a while, so you and I are back onto even terms… This is why I'm giving enough of a shit to step in and stop you."

Mark blinked rapidly before frowning "get out of my way, Vanoss…" he growled "this is _my_ choice…"

"Yeah, and it's a stupid one." Vanoss said rather bluntly "you may be acting tough, but right now, you're just as weak as I am… Sure you didn't go through the ordeal I experienced, but I saw you when Jack brought you back. Bleeding and bruised head to toe, don't act like that doesn't hurt."

Mark frowned as he continued "besides, I think this is a wonderful opportunity" Vanoss leaned to the side, peeking at Jack over Mark's shoulder "isn't that right?"

"What?" Mark and Jack said together.

"Jack's been training with his new weapons, hasn't he?" Vanoss suddenly smirked "I bet he's just itching to try them out, right? And what better way to test the limits of your powers by unleashing it on something the despise? Anger is the best fuel for power, is it not?"

"E…Excuse me?" MatPat suddenly stepped forward "are you suggesting that _Jack_ should be the one to fight that thing!?"

"What? You didn't seem so convinced of its power just a few minutes ago."

"I-I don't doubt its power! I thought its origin! However, it IS dangerous! I know that much is true!"

"I can do it" Jack suddenly spoke up, catching MatPat off guard "I can fook that bitch up…"

"S-Such confidence!" Sky exclaimed as MatPat grappled for the words in order to describe his frustration, but Jack just ignored them both and walked up to stand beside Mark.

"You pissed, Jack?" Vanoss prodded.

" _Very_ " Jack's words dripped with venom, his hands curling into fists.

"How pissed?"

"I'll kick yer ass unless you open up the hallway."

"Gee, Felix, I guess that didn't come from your training, huh?" Vanoss then stepped to the side, dramatically bowing as a butler would, his wings folding in against his back "go forth, you vengeful Irishmen!"

" _Wh-What!?_ First of all, what the _hell_ is _wrong_ with you!?" MatPat cried as Jack silently walked past him, leaving Mark to stare dumbly after him "s-second, Jack! Don't just go out there! You may be strong but it's your first fight! Wait!" MatPat bolted after him. Vanoss still bore a smirk, but it soon melted away into a serious frown as he turned to look at Felix, who was silently watching the transaction.

"Sorry for borrowing the 'leader pants' against your will" Vanoss glanced at him, the yellow of his eyes still glowing brightly "but… No offense, it's just that you don't have the ferocity needed to properly motivate him right now…"

"Well…" Felix began, turning to watch Jack walk off, Mark standing their stupidly as he debated how to react "I'll be honest, I'm starting to get annoyed that you apparently don't respect my authority anymore…" he gave him a slight glare, his blue eyes narrowing "that's putting some strain on my trust in you."

"So what will you do?" Vanoss turned to watch Jack as well "stop him from doing the right thing, or let him continue?"

"Oh, I'll let him work it out… I'll have our strongest fighters on the wall in case it turns south… how _ever,_ I won't let this apparent disrespect slide."

"Oh?"

"Consider yourself grounded… _Literally_ " Felix began to walk after Jack, giving Vanoss one final glance before turning away fully "you're restricted to duties within the wall, including teaching the younger AI… and no _flying_ , ether. This goes on for as long as I see fit, now get some rest before you collapse."

Vanoss watched him go, turning to look at a bewildered Sky "well… _Fuck_ … At Looks like he's still strong-minded" Vanoss he gave a nonchalant shrug before walking back into the medical bay "for a second I was worried he was getting soft!"

"B…But…" Sky followed him into the medical bay "you won't be able to _fly…_ "

"I have my guns, and I have my friends… I think I'll survive" Vanoss rolled his eyes as he sat down on his own bed, which resided on the other side of the room from Mark's own bed "now go on, you need to be there…"

"I need to tell you something" Sky suddenly blurted out, making Vanoss blink "about that Character…"

"Really? Why didn't you tell MatPat?"

"Because it's something that I'm not certain about..." Sky suddenly plopped down next to him, making the bed rattle and creak "it's just… a weird feeling… Something doesn't feel right…"

"And that is…?"

"It brought me back" Sky whispered, making Vanoss blink "I… I didn't think about it much until just a little while ago… But… It had every opportunity to kill me, and it didn't… In fact, it carried me home… Peacefully…"

Vanoss blinked rapidly, a large frown beginning to take form on his face "you said it was programmed to kill…"

"No… it's more than that… It's not just _programmed_ , it's like it's… _Natural_ … As if it was i _ntended_ to be this way from the start, without any outside interference…"

"But you're not dead."

"It attacked Mark, though…"

"You should tell Jack this… I mean he's about to go confront this thing" Vanoss laid back onto the bed, closing his eyes "I would, but leader's orders…" Vanoss yawned, his wings disintegrating into yellow pixels as he rolled over onto his side.

"…You know Felix is right…" Sky found himself whispering after a long period of silence "you _are_ getting more rebellious nowadays…"

"Mmmhh don't you have an Irishman to watch over?" Vanoss flicked his hand up, gesturing for him to leave "he needs you more than I do, just make sure to tell him and MatPat what you told me… and for fuck's sake don't let Mark do anything _stupid_ …"

"Yessir…" Sky stood up from the bed and walked out, casting one final glance at Vanoss before stepping out into the hall and jogging after Mark, who had begun to walk forward during their conversation.

"Come on, I think Jack wants you to watch" Sky called as he came up to Mark's side, surprised to see that he looked rather emotionless, yet strained.

"H-He punched me…" Mark whispered as if he had now just realized it.

"Yeah, and you lied to him… Pick up your feet!" Sky gave a painful slap to Mark's backside, making him yelp from the pain and stagger away as Sky trotted on ahead. The comical reaction made Sky giggle, his signature, goofy grin spreading wide along his face "you know, he still cares! I saw it back at the Mist" he gave Mark a wayward glance as he ran ahead, leaving him in the dust. Sky had to raise his voice just so Mark had any hope of hearing him.

"Let him show you how much he cares, watch him defend you with his life!"


	17. Chapter 18

"Jack, you _are_ aware that you don't have to do this alone, right?"

Jack slowly looked up at Felix, who had inserted himself into his field of vision. The wind was tossing his sandy brown hair around in a gentle fashion, the setting sun turning the somewhat short strands gold against the brilliant purples and pinks that made up the sunset.

"We have many fighters still within the wall… They can accompany you" Felix continued, looking down over the railing from where they stood on the Firewall "you don't have to do something so dangerous on your own…"

Jack frowned at this, glaring at him before turning away from him "my game… _Undertale_... its Characters are more than capable of protecting me."

"Jack…" Felix said quietly, gently grabbing hold of Jack's shoulder "you've never even _fought_ with them before… Sure, you know how to summon and communicate with them, yet…"

"Don't yeh remember what Sky said?"

Felix frowned as Jack slowly turned back to look at him, pulling free from his touch "sure, MatPat is skeptical, but… If it really _did_ carry him back, doesn't that mean something?"

"Jack…"

"Don't yeh dare forget that the code of Undertale isn't black and white… I've learned some valuable lessons from my Characters, and… and…" Jack squeezed his eyes shut "as much as I want to kick its ass… I know I won't have the guts to do it… Not with Undertale.

Felix blinked rapidly before his frown grew in size "Jack… are you _sure_ you want to go down there? You appear to be all over the place when it comes to your philosophy!"

"I want to fight it, but I don't want to kill it, alright?" Jack suddenly hissed "I don't see why that's so hard to understand! Besides…" he turned to grab the railing, staring off into the sunset "if anyone is going to find out _why_ it attacked Mark, it should be me."

"And why is that?"

"It's the least I can do" Jack suddenly seemed distant, as if he was now talking to himself, and that Felix wasn't even there anymore "to make up for being a spoiled brat."

"J-Jack… You're not spoiled…"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that." Jack glanced back at Felix, who pursed his lips in response. Jack's icy blue eyes were shining in the light, standing out against the brilliant colors of the sunset "I have _everything_ … And Mark, for all this time, has had _nothing_ … Sure he handled it in a stupid way but... I can understand it."

Jack then turned to look down along the Firewall, where three figures were standing. Felix had personally asked them to stand back so they wouldn't hear their transaction. Jack continued to look at them before looking back up at Felix "plus… I think we're all curious to see what it looks like through the _Septic Eye_ …"

Felix blinked at that, surprised to hear him say that "does… does it even work on Characters?"

"I don't know" Jack admitted, looking down over the railing "but I'm going to try it."

Felix actually winced as Jack then applied his weight onto the railing, swinging over as he prepared to jump off "w-wait!"

Jack blinked and looked up at Felix once more "don't tell me yer scared?" he frowned "I'm not a baby anymore, Felix…"

"J…Just know there's no shame in running away…" Felix found himself stammering "and… I'll have fighters standing by… in case things start heading south…"

"Thanks…" Jack forced himself to say, glancing at the three other spectators one final time before leaping from the railing.

 **…**

Jack squinted against the rushing wind, summoning Sam to break his fall like he had done before " _I have to figure out a better way of getting down_ " he realized as he sat up from where Sam had set him down " _well… too late to figure that out!_ " he brushed himself off, holding Sam close to his chest as he looked across the tall grass. Jack frowned as he saw the distant figure which Sky had identified as the bear.

Jack blinked rapidly as he saw how far away it was, given that it had quite a few hours to spare in walking over to the wall. It was then that he realized that the robot was _standing still._ He narrowed his eyes before raising an arm and summoning a Character. He glanced over as it stood beside him, a single yellow eye looking back, the other covered up by a black eyepatch.

"Undyne, can I use your spear?" Jack asked politely, glancing at the faraway figure from time to time. The Character named Undyne followed his gaze towards said figure before nodding and holding out one of their armored hands, where a bright, neon blue spear resided.

Jack slowly took the spear from their armored grasp "thanks… Yeh can go back, now."

Jack winced as he suddenly got a burst of communication, Undyne's yellow eye widening in shock and what appeared to be confusion. Jack shook his head at that "no, no, I'm not crazy… I know what I- Undyne, please, this is something I want to do alone."

Even more communication, which Jack pursed his lips in response to "okay, okay, yeh can stay out here… But don't come in unless I _really_ need the help, okay?"

Undyne gave him a look of annoyance, but stubbornly agreed in the end. Jack took a breath before taking the spear into his left hand, holding Sam with his right "yeh ready?" Jack looked down at the large eye in his hand "speed is key, yeah?"

Sam flicked his optic nerve up and down as if to signify 'yes' before turning himself to look at the faraway figure. Jack suppressed the feeling of Undyne's eyes boring into the back of skull and held Sam as tightly as he could without hurting him. After a brief a second, Jack began to walk forward; the spear in his right hand, and Sam in his left.

Jack fought back the urge to stab the bear right in the face as he eventually got close enough to actually see its features. He gripped the spear tightly, pursing his lips together as he looked it over with shifty eyes, his pace slowing down to a cautious creep. When he was at least four yards away, he stopped walking altogether.

" _Okay… Now!"_

Upon thinking this, Jack used the flat blade of the glowing spear to cover his right eye, his breath hitching as he was suddenly plunged into darkness, static engulfing his ears like many times before.

The bear stood motionless before him, it's bulky, off-putting body standing out against the surrounding void, and upon further inspection Jack let out an audible gasp of sorts. It wasn't because he hadn't been expecting it to work on a Character, that revelation was minor compared to the actual vision Jack was now experiencing.

To simply put it, it was the most horrifying thing Jack had ever witnessed.

A red, viscous liquid of sorts was slowly oozing out from behind the brown covering of its chest, rolling down its midsection and legs in a messy fashion. A powerful stench suddenly hit Jack, a smell that caused violent shivers to run down his spine as he recognized the meaty, almost metallic scent.

" _Blood_ " Jack realized with a start " _its leaking blood_..."

Jack shuddered as he saw blood beginning to leak out from behind its eyes, which were staring at him with a hollow expression. Their blue irises nearly blotted out from the massive quantities of blood that was currently staining the fuzzy coverings of its face and chest.

Yet as this blood continued to spill free, Jack was baffled to see yet another addition to the already terrifying experience, which took the form of a child. He didn't notice it a first, since it was apparently hiding behind one of the bear's legs.

Jack watched as it suddenly stepped out into view, and Jack was left speechless at its odd appearance. It was, for some reason, entirely pixilated, as if it was from an 8-bit video game. Its entire body was a very light shade of grey, the only thing standing out being its eyes. Its rectangular eyes were dark and lifeless as it walked around to stand in front of the bear, watching Jack the entire time.

" **It's me**."

Jack flinched away as those two words suddenly flooded his thoughts, leaving him breathless as they repeated over and over again in a seizure inducing manner. Jack tried to block it out, but failed as it overpowered him easily.

" **It's me, it's me, it's me...** "

The child was no longer visible, as the bear was now taking up his entire vision. Its face was right in front of Jack's, those two blue and bloody eyes staring right into Jack's exposed eye.

Jack began to hyperventilate, desperately trying to back away as this bear was less than an inch away from him now. He couldn't focus with this haunting phrase digging into his mind. Jack tried to communicate with Sam, but he was drowned out almost immediately.

" **It's me, it's me, it's me, it's me, it's me...** "

Jack couldn't even tell if he was screaming or not as the bear continued to hold this petrifying stare, seemingly preparing to deliver a death that Jack could in NO way prevent.

" **It's me...** "

That was the breaking point, where Jack couldn't hope to bare this any longer. He felt like he was dying, like some sort of insidious force was sucking the life out of him. Jack was about ready to knell over and pass out, probably die soon afterwards. For the longest time he thought the vision he saw of Sky had been to most horrifying thing he would ever witness, but here, in this agonizing moment, he knew he had been wrong.

Then he was back.

Jack managed to let out a choking scream as he was grabbed from behind and pulled off to the side, breaking the eye contact and thrusting him back into reality. He landed in the grass ungraciously, letting go of the spear and clutching Sam with both hands. It took him a few seconds of recollection before he began to sob violently into the grass, cradling Sam in his arms as he reclaimed his thoughts and mind.

Then there was the clank of metal, and Jack slowly looked up to see the armored figure of Undyne standing in between him and the bear. Jack took a shuddering breath, recollecting himself before looking over at the robot.

Jack blinked rapidly as he saw that it wasn't right in front of him like he had previously thought. It was right where it had been before, no sign of any movement what-so-ever.

Still recovering from the horrifying ordeal, Jack managed to get up from the grass, shaking violently as he used Undyne's armored shoulder for support.

"U-Undyne..." Jack managed to choke out, releasing their shoulder "c-cover me..."

Undyne gave him a startled look, clearly disagreeing with his decision, as they looked over Jack's shaky body.

"Undyne" Jack suddenly repeated strongly, reaching down to pick up the spear he had dropped. He tucked Sam away into the pocket of his hoodie "I got this."

Undyne had little effect on his decision as he began to walk forward, a sudden anger rising up from within "y...yeh..." Jack staggered towards the bear, teeth bared in a snarl "wh-what the fook did yeh do to me!?"

The bear calmly watched him, unmoving even as Jack pointed the spear directly at it "y-yeh came between me and Sam! Do... Do yeh even know how horrible that felt!?"

The spear shook, as well as his hand as he gave it a challenging glare "y...yer just as bad as Sky fears yeh to be! Yeh just carried him back to trick us, right!? Yeh... Yeh... Bastard!"

Jack howled as he reared back the spear, bringing it down with all his might right onto its head... Or at least he tried. The spear struck nothing but open air, startling Jack as he realized too late the apparent absence of the bear.

He immediately sensed someone behind him, and Jack quickly realized what had happened. The bear had dodged, and was now preparing to strike him from behind. Jack instinctively jumped off to the side, falling into a controlled roll before getting up onto a knee and angling himself to strike whatever was behind him.

Jack stopped mid-strike, freezing in his tracks as he saw what was once behind him. His mouth fell agape as he indeed saw the bear, but instead of facing him, it was walking away from him. Jack saw Undyne awkwardly shuffle out of its way as it walked by, not showing any aggression at all.

"Wh- hey!" Jack jumped up to his feet "wh-where yeh think yer going!?"

The bear didn't even acknowledge him and continued walking, its clanking footsteps muffled by the tall grass as it went along, right towards the Firewall.

"Why yeh...!" Jack growled and dashed forward to cut it off. Surprisingly, it stopped upon seeing him block his path "y-yeh ain't going anywhere, yeh fuzzy bucket of bolts!" Jack was fully enraged now, forgetting his sense of mercy as he went to strike it once more.

Once again, the bear was behind him in less than a second. Jack gritted his teeth and immediately whirled around to land another blow, but the bear just continued to dodge, all while retaining its route towards the wall.

Jack remained hot on its trail, slashing and stabbing at it with the spear out of rage; an incoherent yelling coming out from his throat as he attacks continued to hit the empty air.

Eventually, Undyne stepped in and managed to tear the spear away from Jack, much to his displeasure, yet his frustrated reaction was crudely interrupted by a sudden movement from above. Undyne took the spear with her into Jack's Antechamber as something suddenly scooped Jack up off the ground, making him scream mostly out of rage and frustration as he was taken away.

"P-Put meh down!" Jack howled, kicking at the air as he was carried back up to the Firewall "l-let me at em!"

"You've been at him enough!" Jack froze up as he heard the distinct tone of Mark's voice over the rushing wind "that was going nowhere, and you know it!"

Jack looked up at the Korean who was carrying him as he was set down onto the Firewall. He held his tongue as Mark landed beside him, the both of them barely reacting as Felix, MatPat, and Sky ran up to meet them.

"What happened!?" Jack flinched as MatPat suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him around "why did you just attack it like that!? Did it do something!? Are you hurt!?"

"Hey, hey, give him some space" Felix gently separated them before looked at Jack "did it instigate you or something?"

"Wh...What? I..." Jack suddenly froze up, turning to look over all of them in one swift motion "how long?"

"What?"

"How many minutes for Undyne to come to my rescue?"

"Rescue?" Mark and MatPat echoed in sync.

"Minutes?" Sky tilted his head to the side, ignoring Jack's worrying choice of words "she, like, ran up and grabbed you the moment you stopped walking..."

Jack whirled around to gawk at Sky, startling everyone "WH-what? No... No it was longer than that! It had to have been!"

"The whole thing was over in just a few seconds" Felix supported Sky's statement, worry clouding his blue eyes "Jack, just what exactly happened?"

Jack shuddered violently, eyes wide as he recalled the dreadful vision he had received. He reached up to rub his shoulders, looking down at his feet "it... It... Bloody..."

"What?"

"It was so... _Bloody.._." Jack choked out, looking up to see Mark staring back with wide eyes "b-blood _everywhere_... The smell was _awful_... And..." Jack squeezed his eyes shut. "There was... A kid... I-I think another Character... And..."

His eyes suddenly shot wide open " _it's me_."

"Wh...What?"

"Those two words... That's all I could hear..." Jack turned to Sky "it... It blocked my communication with Sam!" He reached into his pocket and took out the large eye, looking down to see that he was _trembling_ in the palm of his hand. Jack held Sam close to his heart, trying to comfort the obviously shaken eye "I... I couldn't get out of the vision!" He found himself blurting out "without Sam I... I was stuck!"

"That all happened in less than a second?" MatPat seemed both fascinated and skeptical at the same time "are you sure?"

"It... It didn't feel like a second..." Jack looked from MatPat to Felix "S-Sky was right... It's... It's..." Jack began to shake his head side to side, closing his eyes and holding Sam close to his forehead "it's not right..."

There was a brief moment of silence before Mark spoke up "it's still coming..."

Jack winced at that, reopening his eyes to see Mark looking over the railing "it's just... strolling along like nothing happened..." Mark turned to Felix "what do we do?"

Felix went silent at that, everyone's eyes now on him. He took a moment to think before walking over to the railing "we're going to keep an eye on it..." He suddenly found his voice, his icy blue eyes shining against the sinking sun, the entire horizon falling into twilight "a two guards right here on the wall at all times... And tomorrow, we make our move. If Jack's vision is accurate, then we must prevent it from entering the city at all times."

Felix turned back to everyone else "I'll think about who is to fight this thing tonight, if we must fight at all. Go get some rest... Especially you, Mark" Felix frowned at the red haired Korean "don't think I've forgotten about the beat-down you received... Now go to your room."

With that, Felix turned and walked away, MatPat following close behind. The two of them sharing words in the form of low whispers.

Mark looked like he wanted to argue, but kept his mouth shut and walked off. Jack looked from Felix to Mark before going after his obviously conflicted friend, yet someone caught his arm before he got too far.

"Don't" Sky made Jack look at him "he still feels bad, just... Give it some time..."

Jack felt a twang of guilt at that, turning to watch Mark walk away "but... I told him I forgave him..."

"He hasn't forgiven himself" Sky gently explained as he looked over to watch Mark as well "all he needs is time to reflect... Tomorrow is a new day."

Jack continued to watch after Mark for a few more seconds before turning to look at Sky "it makes sense..."

"Hmm?" Sky blinked and met his gaze.

"Everything makes sense" Jack murmured, looking down at Sam, who was now calming down "for as long as I've know Mark, he's never grinned."

"'grinned?' What are you talking about? I know he was depressed and all but-"

"I don't mean a smile, I mean an actual, toothy grin" Jack suddenly seemed distant, staring off at the fading twilight "sure, he's smiled and laughed, but I've never seen him actually... Excited... Now that I'm thinking back on it, I'm noticing all these outliers..."

Jack suddenly sniffed and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand "yeh know how we would sneak off in the middle of the night? Climb the rooftops, watch the sunset, stargaze... Did yeh know he took me up to the Firewall when I was in stage three?"

"N...No..." Sky looked shocked "I-I didn't..."

"The first time I scaled a building" Jack almost seemed proud, smiling even as he eyes grew moist "and... The last time Mark gave me a piggy-back ride..." He looked down at his shoes "j-just a week later... I was too big for him... I grew so fooking fast..." Jack slowly looked back up at Sky "I-I miss being small... Being a kid... Maybe if I never grew up... Mark would still be... Be..."

Sky immediately gained a sympathetic look, reaching forward to apply a comforting touch to Jack's shoulder "Mark still loves you; you're almost his little brother... No, you pretty much are his brother. Nothing is going to reverse the impact you've had on each other."

Jack found himself smiling at that "y-yeh really think so?"

"I know so" Sky looked out at the fading light, smiling broadly "in this world, friendship is our most powerful asset. Without it, we cannot protect one another...And especially now, with that... Thing... Down there..."

Sky glanced back at Jack; his brown eyes orange against the fading light "so don't worry... Do what I do and think happy thoughts... _Why?_ Because in the end, I know we'll be okay. We have been before, and we will now."


	18. Chapter 19

"Are you physically capable to go out there?"

"I thought you _grounded_ me."

"I'm not in the mode for your sass, Vanoss" Felix said with an edge to his voice "and for fucks sake, take off that mask when I'm talking to you."

"But it's my _ground_ gear" Vanoss protested childishly, reaching up to protectively grasp the sides of the full head mask he was current wearing. It was in the shape of a yellow owl, its golden eyes unmoving as they were solid parts of the mask. It eerily resembled Vanoss's pet, Hoodini, who was currently perched on the backrest of the chair Vanoss was sitting in.

Another odd thing to note was Vanoss's outfit. It was mostly made of black latex and normal cotton clothing, matching gloves and boots on his appendages. There was a yellow insignia of an owl branded across his chest, and the weirdest part had to be that he was also wearing a parachute with yellow straps that acted as a utility belt of sorts.

"Just take it off, consider that an order." Felix crossed his arms "I'm waiting."

"Might as well give in, Vanoss! He got the daddy stance on!"

Felix rolled his eyes as a third voice suddenly boomed out from somewhere else in the room, and he turned to see another AI standing nearby. They wore a hockey mask, a blue hoodie loosely zipped up to his midsection "you're just waiting for a whooping, ain't yeah!?"

"This isn't-"

"Talk to us when you learn to enunciate, Delirious!" Vanoss suddenly butted in, causing a spurt of laughter from everyone else that was in the room.

"You starting shit, Vanoss!?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh, get over here you owl bitch!" The AI named Delirious suddenly pulled out a knife, which Felix intercepted before an actual fight could occur.

"Stop it, both of you!" Felix took the knife and drove it into a nearby table, reminding everyone just how strong their leader actually was. Delirious glared at him from behind his mask before rolling his eyes and walking away with a huff.

 _"What a rowdy, uncontrolled bunch..."_ Felix frowned as he scanned the rest of their audience. Nearly all of them wore masks like Vanoss and Delirious, the designs ranging from pigs to monkeys as they were all animal themed. Those without a mask ether wore facial art and/or odd fashion choices. Only a few looked 'normal' and even then they had their owl little quirks " _then again, it's the chaos that makes them a force to be reckoned with..."_

Felix turned back to Vanoss, who had begun to pet Hoodini with the back of his hand "okay, Batman rip-off, take off that mask already."

Felix could practically _hear_ Vanoss's eyes rolling before he stubbornly pulled off the head mask. If Felix hadn't known it was Vanoss beforehand, he would have been blindsided at this reveal. Vanoss had two distinct sides to his personality. There was the supportive, serious side that he showed when in the presence of the other Experts and where his work determined the safety of the city...

...then there was his sassy, chaotic, sarcastic side that he reserved for when he was hanging out with his little group of friends. Whenever they got together, Vanoss would jump into this weird outfit and unleash his uncontrolled side. They tended to unleash their chaotic humor out on the Viruses, hence why they took so many patrols in the first place. They all crowded up in a green and yellow bus named the _'Banana Bus'_ and tore off into the distance whenever they could.

Felix realized that he had made a mistake grounding Vanoss, considering that his friends hated to leave him behind, so now everyone was packed into Vanoss's private quarters, shouting jokes and picking fights with each other inside a closed space instead of out on the Viruses.

Vanoss was now looking up at Felix with a displeased look on his face, but he remained silent as Felix continued on "look, you appear to be in good health, so at noon tomorrow, just be ready to-"

"You know that I can't be the one to fight that thing" Vanoss had activated his serious tone, causing all the surrounding side conversations to stop. Felix felt their curious gazes locked onto the both of them, Vanoss however, was unfazed by the attention "and you know my instinct has never been wrong before."

"Vanoss..."

"Sky gave me a run-down of what happened... Plus the fact that he got _carried_ home by that robotic bear whatcha-ma-call-it" Vanoss went back to petting Hoodini, who was affectionately leaning into his touch "and I'm getting this weird feeling, ya know?"

"And what should I do about that?" Felix crossed his arms.

"Listen to me" Vanoss didn't stop petting the owl as he looked up at Felix once more "isn't it odd that Jack saw such a horrid thing, yet it didn't attack him nor Sky? Mark has been the _only_ one to be aggressively engaged by that Character, and it's bugging me."

"So what? Let Mark go on out there to be killed?" Felix was beginning to get frustrated "for what? To satisfy your curiosity?"

"He wouldn't get killed easily."

"You _saw_ how he came back!"

"In his defense, he was caught off guard... A violent character isn't exactly normal, ya know."

"Vanoss-"

"If it helps, I'll be watching the fight" Vanoss interrupted "I'll make sure that it doesn't go south."

"Don't act like everything is decided!" Felix hissed "this rebellious side of yours shouldn't be so loosely contained!"

"Yeah well I can see right through you, don't forget" Vanoss pointed as his own eyes, their yellow color reflecting off the light overhead "Hoodini can too, and we both know what you're thinking."

Felix frowned at that, but knew that this conversation was going nowhere. He gave Vanoss one last glare before turning away to walk towards the door "get some sleep" he ordered "it's the middle of the night, and I need you alert for tomorrow."

"I'm an _OWL..."_

Felix turned back to frown at him, finding that he already had his owl mask back on. Felix ignored the snickering Vanoss had produced from his friends "I'm being serious, you need to sleep. So do all of you." Felix looked over everyone else in the room "tomorrow might get crazy, let's not be unprepared."

With that, he turned around and walked right out. He found himself growling as conversation immediately sprung up from behind the door the moment he closed it. He stood there for a second before letting out a sigh of defeat and walking down the stairs.

 **...**

Mark squinted against the harsh light of midday, yet he didn't move from his position and continued to rest his chin onto his crossed arms. He was currently staring out from the window to his bedroom, the wind gently toying with his hair as he looked out at the scenery.

Only two things were on his mind: Jack and the bear. Jack had gotten back at him, forgiving him in the end, and Mark nearly wept at the thought of it. It was an odd mixture of pride, joy, and relief... Then there was the bear.

Mark had never been filled with so much terror, having that thing standing over him, trying to bash his head in with its stupid microphone. Mark still couldn't find the right words to describe its features, they were too... _Cartoony_... In a way, not like your common killer robot... It bugged Mark how child-friendly it looked.

Eventually, Mark got up from the window, looking down to see Chica sitting beside him. He gently patted her head; scratching her behind the ear before turning towards the door "come on girl" he said quietly "let's go..."

He opened the door so Chica could walk out first, and then walked out himself. They traveled out of the building together, Mark being lost in thought as he couldn't stop thinking about that stupid bear.

"Mark?"

Mark blinked and looked up to see MatPat standing nearby in the doorway of his lab, wires dangling from his arms and shoulders, apparently the result of an inconvenience of sorts "uh... Do you need help?" Mark tried to forget about the bear as he approached an obviously struggling MatPat.

"N-no, I got this... Uh... Yeah, I need help" MatPat eventually gave up his pride, letting his shoulders sag as Mark began to navigate the tangled mess.

"Geez, what did you do?" Mark eventually found the end of a wire and began working backwards in order to loosen them "did they come alive and grab you?" He gently teased as freeing his friend soon proved to be more of a challenge than he anticipated.

"Eh... To simply out it, I... Fell.. _. Tripped.._." MatPat rolled his eyes at his own failure "I... I wanted to get to Felix as fast as possible but..." He looked down at the wires "I can't run like this..."

"Just let me help you" Mark managed to pull off a large portion of wires from his shoulders, leaving only a few to dangle from his arms "see? You're almost free."

"I gotta be there when he decided on who fights the robot!" MatPat anxiously shifted his weight from foot to foot, glancing up at the Core's protective dome as well as the central spire "I need to give them a run-down on that robot's-"

"-Animatronic"

"What?" MatPat looked back at Mark, who was still fiddling with the wires "what did you just say?"

"It's more of an animatronic than just a robot, don't you think?" Mark pulled the last wires off of him, bending over to pick the others that he had dropped.

"I...I guess so" MatPat squinted at Mark, who was gathering the wire's into one big bundle "hmm... Uh... Hey, do me a favor and put those away in my lab, I gotta run" MatPat suddenly spun around on his heels and trotted off "just dump them anywhere!"

"Uh... Okay?" Mark watched the theorist run off before walking over to the lab "I guess Felix is closer to making a decision than I thought" he spoke to Chica "I thought he would announce it this afternoon..."

Chica gave a quiet _woof_ in response as Mark set the bundle on a table near the doorway "I guess he's certain about his decision..."

"I am."

Mark jumped out of fright and spun around to see that all-familiar Swede in the lab's doorway "J-Jesus! You scared the crap out of me!" Mark turned to face him directly, blinking as he noticed that MatPat was standing just behind him, out of breath.

"Sorry, am I in the way?" Mark went to slide past Felix, but the Swedish AI was unmoving, his icy blue eyes locked on Mark, shining with some sort of emotion that Mark couldn't describe "uh... What? Is something wrong?"

"You're fighting the robot."

"It's an animatronic- wait _what!?_ " Mark took a step back, blindsided by this information "m-me!?"

"I thought you _wanted_ to fight it."

"I... I do but..." Mark held out his hands, searching for the right words "y-you seemed really against it..."

"I changed my mind" Mark blinked as Felix and MatPat suddenly exchanged a glance of sorts "when will you be able to go out there?"

"Uh... Any time?"

"Then get up to the wall" Felix suddenly frowned "it's gotten too close for my liking."

With that, Felix turned and summoned his grey and blue wings, taking off into the air before Mark could say anything else. Mark rushed out to watch him fly up to the wall, speechless for he didn't know how to react.

"Come on" MatPat suddenly spoke up, still out of breath "uh... C-Could you carry me up to the wall? I can't fly..."

"H-Huh? Oh... Sure..." Mark slowly summoned his Warftwings, putting Chica back into his Antechamber before grabbing hold of MatPat from under the arms.

"T-try not to exert too many G forces on me" MatPat suddenly said before Mark could fly up "there's a reason I banned the Hookshot, ya know..."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you..." Mark rolled his eyes before _carefully_ taking off. He scanned the wall where he had seen Felix land, eventually finding him along with a few other AI. He banked, coming in to land beside the small group. MatPat quickly broke away, clearly relieved to be back on solid ground.

Mark folded his wings in against his back, blinking as he saw nothing but familiar faces with Felix, one in particular standing out to him.

"Are... Are you sure you want to be here?" Mark asked Jack as passively as he could "after what happened yesterday?"

Jack gave a little nod in response; his lips parting ever-so-slightly yet nothing came out. Mark couldn't blame him, yet part of him wished that Jack would actually say something... and another part was just relieved that Jack still cared about him enough to show up.

 _"Of course he does, you idiot_ " Mark scolded himself as he looked over the railing "so... Uh... Where is it?"

"Right where you're looking" Vanoss suddenly spoke up from behind Mark, making him jump out of fright "it's literally standing less than a foot away from the wall."

Mark cautiously met Vanoss's gaze, which glowed yellow as his _Owl's Eyes_ were activated "I... I... Uh..."

"Quit gawking, I told you I'm over it" Vanoss rolled his eyes before walking around him so he could stand at his side "I'm here as your long-range backup, nothing more."

Mark blinked, recoiling as he caught sight of what Vanoss was holding "are... Are you _sure?_ You never bring _that_ out unless..."

"I feel like it's necessary" Vanoss propped the large black and yellow sniper rifle he had onto the railing, tilting it down so he could get a zoom-in on the bear "although it's a pain in the ass to shoot straight down like this, so do me a favor and lure it out farther if you can."

"Y-Yeah, sure..." Mark suddenly felt uneasy, shaken at the fact that Vanoss thought his sniper was _necessary._ That gun of his was by far one of the most powerful weapons the city had to offer. There was a reason Vanoss was considered a 'sharpshooter.'

Mark had witnessed several of his astonishing shots, the most notable being able to shoot down a flying Virus out in the outer ring from the Owl's Nest. It was something unimaginable up until that point, and since then Mark had made sure to avoid getting on his bad side. The only time he broke that pattern was when he attacked Vanoss in Felix's apartment, and he had known nothing but dread since.

Mark felt immense relief seeing Vanoss back on his side, yet that sniper still intimidated the hell out of him. He shook his head in means to clear it before turning to Felix "should I just...?"

"Yeh might as well" Jack suddenly answered for his leader, drawing Mark's attention back towards him "I mean, it ain't moving otherwise..."

Mark blinked rapidly, surprised to hear him say anything at all. That was when Mark let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around Jack, making him squeak out of surprise.

"I still feel like shit..." Mark muttered awkwardly.

"Y-Yer not alone..." Jack said through the fabric of Mark's flannel "I feel bad too, yeh know..."

"Let's feel shitty together."

"Agreed."

"Uh, _hello?_ " Vanoss butted from his position, still looking down the scope of his sniper "any day, now."

Both Mark and Jack gave Vanoss a halfhearted glare as they separated from their awkward hug. They then gave each other one last look before Mark turned and grabbed hold of the railing.

"Are we besties again?"

Mark stopped, one of his feet on the railing as Jack's hopeful voice came from behind him. He cast one last glance back, slightly smiling at the purposefully cliché choice of words that Jack had used.

"Forever" Mark whispered back before snapping out his wings and leaping off the Firewall.


	19. Chapter 20

Mark squinted against the rushing wind, flying down to the world below as carefully as he could. He flew in circles, slowly spiraling down to the ground. Part of him wished that the animatronic bear wouldn't notice him, but it seemed as if it was aware of his location at any given time.

Mark eventually landed, the tall grass waving under the wind his wings had generated. They immediately wrapped around his arms, creating his dangerously sharp talons, which he clenched into fists as he took a horse stance.

The bear was no more than five yards away, calmly watching him as it did the first time they met. Remembering Vanoss's request, Mark began to slowly back up, increasing the distance in between them. He frowned as the bear continued to remain still, agitating him slightly.

"No, no, keep your cool... It _wants_ you to get frustrated, like last time..." Mark whispered to himself, his gaze on the robot unwavering as he continued to back up "just focus... Focus... Focus..."

Mark eventually stopped backing up as the bear was now very far away, giving him a faint sense of ease _"Vanoss is watching... With that sniper of his, I'm good... He probably has Hoodini flying around as well... Everything is alright..."_

Then the bear was gone.

Mark blinked rapidly, eyes widening as he processed what had just happened. The animatronic with its noisy, bulky body had just vanished from sight. At first he thought it was a trick of the sunlight.

Yet the shadow that suddenly engulfed him quickly proved otherwise.

Mark gasped and leaped forward, falling into a controlled roll just as there was a _whoosh_ of sorts, a sound he immediately recalled from their first encounter.

"H-Holy fuck!" He gasped as he scrambled to his feet, barely dodging yet another attack as he did so. He felt an odd sense of déjà vu as he caught sight of the microphone swinging down towards his face.

Mark ducked, diving in between its legs so he came out from behind it, and that's where he slashed at it with his pink claws.

His eyes widened as his claws did indeed strike the fuzzy covers of its endoskeleton, yet they did absolutely nothing. Mark gaped as his powerful claws bounced off the brown coverings harmlessly, leaving him vulnerable as the bear turned to look at him.

Its eyes had turned into black and white pits, just like during their first battle. They were all Mark could focus on as it cranked its arm around, the microphone going right for his head.

 _BANG!_

Mark gasped, recoiling as a powerful shot ringed throughout the air, signifying that Vanoss had kept his promise, yet Mark could only scream as the bullet struck the ground right beside him, spraying dirt everywhere.

 **...**

"Wh-What the fook was that!?" Jack screamed at Vanoss, who had gone noticeably pale "y-yeh fooking _missed! And you almost hit Mark!"_

"Th-That..." Vanoss had clearly been caught off guard, his entire body stiff as his Owl's Eye's darted around wildly "that... F-fucker..." He looked up at Felix, who seemed equally rattled "th-the bastard... dodged my bullet..."

 _"What?"_ Everyone seemed mortified at that, but there was no denying it. That bear had indeed vanished just at the perfect time, but the look on Vanoss's face showed that it had not been a coincidence.

"I-Isn't that gun... O-One of the strongest weapons we have?" MatPat whispered "the... The fastest? How... H-how could it _dodge_ that?"

"I... I don't know..." Vanoss put his eye back up to the scope, his finger squeezing around the trigger once more.

 **...**

Mark let out a yelp as another _BANG_ sounded up from above, and Mark knew that Vanoss had taken another shot at the bear. He squinted through the accumulating dust, mouth falling open as he saw the bear looking up at the wall, standing right next to a black, steaming hole in the ground.

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Mark backed away as the bear began to repeatedly vanish and reappear in different locations; bullets following it's every move.

 _BANG! BANG! BANG!_

That was then Mark realized what was happening. He felt a whole new wave of terror, backing away even more as Vanoss continued to shower bullets down at the animatronic bear.

 _"It's... Teleporting..."_

Mark clenched his pink claw-hands, watching the scene in front of him unfold with an odd sense of fascination. He examined every move he managed to witness with wide eyes, shaking slightly as he knew what this meant.

 _"How can I beat something that can teleport so often?"_

Mark looked down at his claw-hands before unclenching them, allowing them to morph back into wings _"I'm neither strong nor fast enough to win this... If even Vanoss can't hit it!"_

Even though it hurt his pride, Mark leapt up from the ground, beating at the air with his wings " _sorry Felix, but I can't do this_ -"

Mark's train of thought derailed from his tracks, a scream escaping him as something suddenly caught on one of the tendrils that ran from under his nose to his wings, jerking his head back as he was torn down from the air and onto the ground. Mark choked as he felt something close down around the back of his neck, yanking him up from the ground and holding him up.

Mark frantically grabbed at his neck, flapping his wings, desperately trying to free himself as he was held up towards the Firewall. The bullets stopped coming, and Mark quickly realized what had happened. He glanced back, shuddering as he saw the white dots within the animatronic's eyes, looking back at him with a haunting expression.

 _"It's using me as a shield..."_ Mark's eyes went wide " _I'm... I'm done for!"_

What happened next went by as a blur, going so fast that Mark barely had time to comprehend it. He couldn't even believe that it had happened, yet he had no other choice than to except it.

Mark let out a grunt of pain as he was suddenly dropped onto the ground, falling like a sack of potatoes. Mark immediately jumped up and leapt away, thinking its grip had simply slipped, yet as he prepared to dodge another attack, he went still out of pure shock.

Its eyes had turned back to their normal color of blue, and it stood motionless before him. There was no aggression, no malice of any kind. The only thing off about it was its naturally disturbing gaze.

Mark blinked rapidly, continuing to back away, his wings slowly spreading out once more. That was when he saw something he would never have expected.

It flinched.

This horrifying freak of an animatronic actually _flinched_ away from him, one of its arms twitching forward as if it was stopping itself from reaching out. Mark blinked rapidly, unsure of what to do. He eventually tucked his wings in against his back, and was even more confused as he saw it _relax._

"What. The. Fuck." Mark found himself whispering "I... I... Make up your _fucking mind already!_ " He suddenly exclaimed, slamming a foot down into the grass "what do you fucking _want!?_ To _beat me up_ , you _help_ Sky, you _terrify_ Jack, you can fucking _teleport,_ just _what the FUCK ARE YOU!?_ "

 **"It's me."**

Mark froze up as he suddenly heard something, his chest tightening as he recalled what Jack had claimed to hear during its vision. The voice it spoke in was gender bias, robotically speaking with some sort of unknown emotion that Mark couldn't describe.

 **"It's me."**

Mark found himself breathing hard, holding his head with both hands as the mysterious phrase began to repeat itself.

 **"It's me."**

Mark could not look away from the animatronic, his entire body shaking violently as the bear met his gaze evenly. And then something happened, something he did not expect. The voice which spoke this phrase, as robotic and genderless as it was, it suddenly grew soft in tone, yet it was strained... Almost... Desperate... in a way.

 ** _"Mark, it's me."_**

Upon hearing this voice actually say his name, Mark found himself _weeping_. Mark rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, but was otherwise motionless as the gears of his brain began to turn. He silently pondered the situation, the robotic voice fading away, and as Mark was left to think in peace, something clicked within him.

Mark didn't know how he came to this conclusion, but he had somehow gotten there. And now he couldn't stop crying. Mark silently wept, not even bothering to wipe his eyes as they looked at one another.

That's when their eyes turned back to white and black.

Mark gracefully leapt to the side as the animatronic appeared before him, his wings glowing and reforming into his claw-like hands, yet Mark did not attack with them. He simply held them up over his head as the microphone almost hit him in the face.

He didn't even wince, tears still rolling down his face as the microphone struck his clawed hands, being deflected as Mark did not waver. He then leapt back, keeping his arms up so he could continue to block all of the following blows.

As they fought, Mark's mind was elsewhere, making it a miracle how he was even blocking these attacks in the first place. The burning of his eyes was distant to him, the tears barely a distraction as this went on for some time. It felt like hours, but Mark did not stop. He continued to block and dodge, refusing to attack, even when its back was exposed.

Even as his muscles began to burn, Mark did not stop. He did not try to escape like before; he simply continued to engage in a defensive way, even if it put serious stress onto his joints and limbs.

After a while longer, Mark lowered his arms slightly as he sensed the animatronic's strength to be failing. Up until now, its power had been consistent, but now, it had suddenly grown weak, it's attacks no harder to deflect than a bitch-slap.

Mark blinked and lowered his arms completely, ignoring the aching burn of his muscles as the bear suddenly stopped altogether, freezing in place as if it had run out if battery. They stared at each other for the longest time before it began to tilt backwards.

He watched as it fell to the ground, landing in the grass with a thud. The microphone still in its grasp, and Mark took the opportunity to look up at the Sky. The sun was overhead, slowly sinking down into a beautiful sunset, which was odd considering that they had started in the early afternoon.

Mark blinked rapidly before letting out a wary chuckle and crumpling to the ground, face first into the grass as he let his eyes close.

"S-Six hours..." He found himself choking out "S-Six hours... T-To beat your ass..." He smiled through the grass, tilting his head to the side so he could see the animatronic laying close by. He wanted to say something else, but his eyelids were already fluttering shut as exhaustion consumed him like a wave.

 **...**

"I can't believe he did it" MatPat whispered as he followed Vanoss and Jack through the tall grass "I can't believe all he needed to do was wear it out..."

"Neither can I" Jack admitted as they neared the two downed figures, both of them nearly hidden in the grass "after it dodged Vanoss like that... I thought he was gonna die!"

"You two should really be quiet" Vanoss suddenly hissed "it could be faking... Heck, MatPat you shouldn't even be here!"

"I need a look at it!" MatPat hissed "before it disappears!"

"Relax; it's not going everywhere-"

Jack and MatPat were cut off as one of the bear's arms suddenly shot up, thrusting its microphone-clenching fist up to the sky and making the two of them scream. Vanoss reacted in a logical way and pointed his sniper at it, pushing MatPat and Jack away from it as it propped itself up from the grass, it's metallic joints groaning as it slowly pushed it's bulky body up onto a knee, letting it kneel over a nearby Mark, who still lay unmoving in the grass.

"M-Mark!" Jack cried as Vanoss got ready to shoot, but the winged sharpshooter suddenly stopped and took his eye away from the scope, blinking rapidly.

"Wh-what are yeh doing!?" Jack wailed "sh-shoot it-"

Just then, the robot began to produce an odd groaning sound, the microphone dropping from its hand so it could reach forward and brush Mark's red hair away from his face. There was a moment of silence before it let out yet another groan before curling over Mark's downed figure.

Jack stared with wide eyes as it began to disintegrate into pixels, the fading sunlight giving their red color a beautiful shine as it fell apart, the pixels falling down, covering Mark as if it was snow.

And all three of them could only gawk as there was a sudden flash of red light, and the pixels were gone.


	20. Chapter 21

Mark let out a moan of pain, reaching up to feel his head as stars flashed behind his eyelids, his arms feeling like concrete as he tried to move them "Wh...Wha...?" He rolled over onto his side, grimacing from the pain he felt "o...ow... Wh-where...?"

"Mark?"

He blinked and opened his eyes from where he lay on his side, wincing against the light from overhead "J...Jack? Is that you?" He croaked.

"All the Experts are here... And MatPat" Felix's voice suddenly joined Jack's, but Mark couldn't properly see any of them; the light was too bright "and... Umm... Promise us you won't freak out."

"Wh-what are you talking about...?" Mark groaned, propping himself up onto an elbow "f-freak out about what?"

"Uh... Look up."

Mark blinked against the light as he rolled back over onto his back, propping himself up on his elbows just as his eyes began to adjust to the light, revealing two blue eyes.

"...Oh..."

"Oh!? _That's_ all you got to say!? _OH!?_ " MatPat's shrill screech pierced through the air, but Mark didn't look over as he was preoccupied with examining the animatronic bear that was sitting at his bedside. As MatPat continued to make a big deal about his nonchalant reaction, Mark assessed the situation.

The bear was sitting in a chair, the microphone its right hand, and even then both were resting on its knees. It was watching him as it had always done, but this time it was different, this time Mark sensed no malice whatsoever. Mark felt relieved at that, but was just as confused "uh... How did he get in here?" Mark turned to look at everyone else, blinking as he saw that everyone was standing against the wall of the medical bay, as far away from the bear as possible.

"I'm going to be a hundred percent honest with you" Sky was somehow able to stay happy during all of this, all of his attention on Mark rather than the bear "we have absolutely _no_ idea."

"It literally just appeared there" Cry joined in, and Mark was surprised to see him at all considering that he had been out of the loop concerning most of the previous events "and it's just been watching you as you sleep... For like..."

"Hours" Ken chimed in; who Mark was also surprised to see "we kinda just went along with it since it's not doing anything but..."

"Hey! Check this out!"

Mark blinked rapidly as Sky suddenly reached over and turned off the light, making MatPat screech "agh! No! Turn it back on!"

"But look what it can do!"

"I _know_ what it can do!" MatPat cried desperately "and it's terrifying! Stop it!"

Mark blinked as looked back at the animatronic through the darkness, his eyes widening to see that their pupils were _glowing white_ , the rest of their eyes pitch black.

"Please Sky, turn the lights back on" Felix spoke up over MatPat's blubbering cries.

"Okay, okay, I thought it looked cool" Sky turned the light back on, revealing his signature, goofy grin "who else thought it looked cool?"

"No one!" A majority of the group cried out, only Vanoss and Mark remained silent. While MatPat scolded a giggling Sky, Mark turned back to the bear "so he just... Appeared?"

"He?" Vanoss frowned "why do you think it's a he?"

Mark looked at him, blinking rapidly "I... Uh..."

MatPat stopped and turned towards Mark "oh... About that... Uh..." He looked up at Felix "should we just... Tell him?"

"If you think you're right" Felix nodded, gesturing for him to continue.

"W...What's going on?" Mark looked quizzical, looking over everyone including the bear "I... I don't get it..."

"Jack, you might want to listen, too" MatPat turned to Jack, who seemed surprised by this "so... Mark, forgive me for diving into such a sensitive topic but... Remember the conclusion we reached about your... Problem?"

Mark winced at that, but nodded. MatPat then looked back at Jack "you see... When we first found out he couldn't summon his Characters, we assumed it was because he had tried to sync with the core _too early"_ MatPat looked down at the floor "that's why we had you wait so long, Jack, we didn't want the Core's intensity to damage your young code since that's what we thought happened to Mark... That was the theory, anyway..."

MatPat continued to look away, clearly embarrassed "I didn't have much to work with, so that was all I had to offer" he admitted "and I feel bad about that... I like my theories to be solid..."

He suddenly looked back up at Mark, eyes narrowed "but after hours of studying both of your codes... I'm actually happy to say that I was _wrong_. Mark, the syncing _didn't_ fail, your Characters _do_ exist..." He nodded towards the bear "and that thing... _Is one of them."_

It took a few seconds for Mark to react to that.

"Oh yeah, I totally figured that out when I was fighting him" Mark ignored MatPat's following sputter of disbelief and smiled up at the animatronic bear "it just... Clicked for me, ya know?"

"You... Figured it out?" Vanoss questioned, looking just as shocked as everyone else "does... That mean you can hear him?"

Mark winced at that, his gaze falling to his own hands "I... I did... For a little while... But not anymore..."

"I wouldn't blame it on yourself... Or him..." Sky suddenly spoke up "I mean, your connection has been _unwillingly_ neglected for _years._.."

"Oh, and that's another thing" Cry pointed at the bear "why was it in the Mist of all places?"

"I... Don't have an answer" MatPat admitted, looking down at his shoes "I wasn't able to find a reason-"

He was cut off as there was a sudden blur of green and the swift appearance of Jack in Mark's vision, standing right next to the bear.

"Listen to me, you fuzzy bastard!" Jack hissed, jabbing a finger at their bow tie "if yeh even think about hurting Mark anymore, I'll kick yer fuzzy ass all the way back into the Mist! Do I make myself clear!?"

Everyone, including Jack, recoiled out of shock as the bear actually _nodded_ in response before looking back at Mark.

"Am... Am I dreaming?" Cry whispered "it's... It's..."

"What the hell is going on!?" Ken cried out, grabbing at his hair "th-this is unbelievable! Mark actually has a Character! And it came from the Mist!? What!?"

"But why is it here now?" Felix was somewhat successful on regaining everyone's attention "aren't Characters supposed to stay in the Antechamber unless they're summoned?"

"Maybe he summoned it in his sleep" Sky held up his index finger to signify that he had a point to make "he doesn't have any previous experience with game Characters, so maybe this is just his code spazzing out as it's having to readjust to the change."

"Is that even possible?" Cry looked over at Sky "I mean, the whole sleep thing."

"Once I woke up to find Hoodini sitting on my face when I had put him away the night before" Vanoss suddenly added "so I don't think 'sleep summoning' isn't impossible... It could just be like sleep walking."

"W-Wait, Hoodini was on yer _face?"_ Jack gave him a startled look "and yeh _slept_ through it? How did _that_ go over?"

"Well-"

"I think we should save the owl stories for another day and figure out _what the fuck is happening!"_ Ken pointed at the bear "does _anyone_ know!?"

"Let's start off with a _simpler_ question" Sky held his hands up, his grin twitching as he struggled to hold it "why would Mark's _own_ Character attack him?"

"How is _that_ a simpler question?"

"Well, if Mark has really connected with this thing, I think he can easily tell us" Sky smiled in Mark's direction "right?"

Mark blinked rapidly before looking up at the bear "uh... Well..."

"The way you beat it is a little odd, too..." MatPat chimed in "at the end of your fight it looks like it just... Stopped..."

"I got it to wear itself out" Mark clarified "took a hell of a long time, too..."

"What was it? Six hours? No wonder you collapsed right after" Vanoss winced and rolled his shoulder back "my arm _still_ feels funny, staying in that position for so long..."

"Yeh know, yeh could have put the gun down at any time" Jack reminded him, rolling his eyes.

"Would you rather have Mark fight with no back-up? That's right, I thought not" Vanoss gave Jack a halfhearted glare before turning back to look over the bear "anyway, I have my own theory about that entire fight" he glanced at MatPat "not to steal your thunder."

"It's alright, I've hit a wall myself" MatPat shrugged.

"Well, what if it was... Some sort of trial?"

The room fell silent at that, eyes wide as they all slowly turned to look at the bear "a... A trial?" Sky was first to break the silence "for what? To prove that Mark was really its Summoner?"

"Well, if you think about it, Mark wouldn't have been able to beat it without the brief connection he managed to create with it."

"Surely it didn't have to go through _all_ that trouble" Ken seemed skeptical "it could have just walked right on over with a friendly _hello_ and Mark would have figured it out anyway."

"No..." Mark suddenly spoke up, drawing everyone's attention towards him "I... I don't think I would of..." He was still looking at the bear "Freddy must have known that, too."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but his eyebrows suddenly shot up as he realized something before he could even get the words out "F...Freddy?"

Mark blinked and looked over at Jack as if he was surprised that he didn't already know "his name is Freddy."

"..."

"It looks more like a _'Satan'_ than a _'Freddy_ '" Ken eventually muttered as no one else could figure out how to properly respond to that.

"That wasn't very nice" Cry quietly pointed out, giving Ken a rough nudge.

"What!? Don't tell me that after all the horrifying things Sky and Jack have seen, you think that this thing is trustworthy!?"

"Trust me, I haven't forgotten about that" Cry turned back to the bear apparently named 'Freddy' "but look at it, it's now just sitting over there, minding its own business."

"...Can I take a closer look?"

Everyone blinked and turned towards Sky, who was now beginning to take a step forward, his smile obviously wavering into a fearful frown "if... if it's alright with... Freddy..."

"If he didn't mind Jack rushing up like that, I think your okay..." Mark gently pointed out, encouraging Jack to back off so Sky had enough room to get closer to Freddy. Sky visibly shuddered before walking up to the animatronic, and Mark quickly realized how much effort this was taking him considering how much Sky believed it to be a killing machine.

"S-Sorry for ambushing you like that..." Sky managed to stammer as he slowly closed the distance between him and Freddy "c... can I touch you?"

"I don't think it cares" MatPat whispered as Sky didn't immediately receive a response from the animatronic.

 _"He"_ Mark recorrected him with a sudden ferocity "and you're fine, Sky. Do what you need to do."

Sky glanced at Mark out of surprise, but swallowed his comment and slowly skimmed his shaky fingertips over the fuzzy animatronic coverings that shielded its endoskeleton. After a while, he stepped back "this... This doesn't make any sense..." He whispered, looking up into Freddy's blue eyes "y-you were born to kill, yet..."

Sky trailed off, continuing to back away from the animatronic "why?" He eventually croaked out "h-how can you... G-Go against your own code like this?"

Freddy looked down at him, but did nothing else. They continued to stare at each other for quite a while until Sky eventually tilted his head down and turned away "I... I need to think about this..." He whispered, reaching up to rub his temples "I... I can't handle this right now... The stress..."

With that, he ducked out of the room. Mark gripped the bed sheets he was still laying under, glancing at Jack in order to see his reaction. His Irish friend wasn't even watching Sky leave; his eyes were still on Freddy, who remained motionless as Sky hurried off.

"Wh-What do we do now?" MatPat suddenly spoke up, breaking the awkward silence that remained after Sky's departure "Like... wh-where do we even begin?"

"Why don't we just... Ask it?" Cry suggested "it's Mark's Character, right? He should be able to translate for us, right?"

"I... I can't hear him right now" Mark admitted, looking down at his hands "l-like Sky said... Our connection isn't very strong..."

 _"Right now"_ Cry pointed out "now that you've found each other, you can finally form that bond!"

"Th... That's right!" Jack suddenly looked ecstatic, grinning broadly as he rushed to Mark's bedside, grasping Mark's hands into his own "Mark! This... This is a miracle, isn't it!?"

"Wh-Why are you _just now_ realizing this?" Vanoss muttered, crossing his arms as Mark's eyes grew as large as the moon at this revelation, as if he too hadn't thought about it in depth until now.

"Y-Yeh will finally be able to hear a voice!" Jack continued to shout "M-Mark! You can learn how to fight with him alongside me! W-We can train together!" Jack hopped from foot to foot, unable to control his excitement "w-we can spar! Get that adrenaline rush we're always desperate for! We'll become the ultimate team! You am me, we'll wipe those Viruses right off the earth!"

Mark continued to gawk up at him, speechless as he was momentarily overwhelmed. He silently turned his head to look at Freddy, who was watching him almost... Eagerly?

"Mark?"

"Y-YEAH!" Mark suddenly shouted, suddenly leaping out of the bed, nearly crashing into Jack as his movements were so sporadic "OH HELL YES, JACK-"

Mark couldn't finish as his weakened body practically _crumbled_ underneath his own weight, sending him down onto the ground with an ugly _thud._ Mark blinked, mouth hanging open out of shock as he struggled to even comprehend what had just happened.

"O-Oh fook! Mark!" Jack dropped down beside him, cradling his muscular figure into his arms "a-are yeh dying!? Talk to me! Mark!?"

"I... I... Oww..." Mark finally managed to gasp; squeezing his eyes shut "owww... M...my legs..." He craned his neck up to peer at his legs, which appeared to be fine from a distance "wh...why...?"

"Don't forget, you were running around for literally _6 hours"_ Vanoss said evenly as everyone else crowded around Mark to see if he was okay "you may have been unconscious for a few hours, but that doesn't mean that you're completely healed just yet."

"H-Hours?" Mark squinted up at Vanoss "h-how many?"

"About... 12?" Cry estimated as he helped pull Mark up off the floor and back into the bed "at least the entire night... It's morning now."

"Skree..."

Everyone froze up as what sounded like a quiet, short _screech_ of sorts suddenly burst into existence, almost like some sort of whine.

"Wh-What the absolute fuck was _that?_ " Ken stammered, making Mark blink and follow his gaze towards Freddy, whose animatronic mouth was hanging open ever so slightly. Everyone cast nervous glanced at each other, unsure of what to do.

"Did... did _Freddy_ make that noise?" MatPat whispered, backing away from the animatronic "I... I didn't even know he could _make_ that kind of sound..."

Mark cocked his head to the side, ignoring everyone's nervous expressions as he looked over the animatronic bear. Freddy was looking straight at him, mouth still partially open. Mark frowned as something was off about his posture and just the overall look he portrayed.

"He's stressed" Mark suddenly concluded after a lengthy examination period "like he wants something."

"What? He looks emotionless to me" Ken crossed his hairy arms "I don't understand how you could get that from such a blank stare."

"I would explain it if I could" Mark murmured, throwing the covers off himself so he could awkwardly scoot across the bed, draping his legs over the edge so he could sit right in front of Freddy.

"M-Mark? That might not be a good idea..."

"Something's _wrong"_ Mark whispered, leaning in closer to Freddy "come on, buddy, talk to me-"

Mark's voice got caught in his throat as he realized what he had just said. There was a moment of silence before Mark put his face into his hands and began to cry, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed into his hands, an uneasy silence hanging overhead.

 _"Buddy..._ Buddi. _.. Fuck..."_

"Skree..."

Mark froze up as Freddy produced another odd sound. Mark found himself sniffling as he raised his now bloodshot eyes back up to Freddy, who had not moved at all. Mark blinked the tears away, hesitating before reaching up towards Freddy with a trembling hand.

"Uh... Uh... M-Mark?"

Mark ignored the concern in MatPat's voice as he placed his hand flat against Freddy's chest, just beneath his bow tie. Mark held his breath, grunting as he used Freddy as a brace while he tried to stand.

Mark felt everyone's eyes on him as his backside left the bed, his other hand going to grab onto Freddy's shoulder as his knees shook violently underneath him. He leaned into Freddy, looking straight into his eyes as they were now eye-level due to their position.

"Mark, you shouldn't-"

"I should" Mark spoke with a sudden strength, cutting Cry off "can't you see? Something's _wrong_ here…" Mark took in Freddy's bear-like face, refusing to look away as the animatronic easily met his gaze, neither of them moved in the slightest, as if entranced by each other.

"Mark? Please, just get away from that thing! We don't know if we can trust it!"

Mark actually winced at that, eyes widening as he recognized Felix's voice. He pursed his lips together, hands trembling as his fingers curled up into fists. He felt a burning sensation develop within his breast, it felt... Hormonal... Instinctual... Nothing like Mark had ever experienced before. He was practically vibrating with newfound energy, as well as a building rage.

 _"His_ name is _Freddy_ " Mark suddenly hissed, breaking eye contact and spinning around to face an obviously concerned Felix, who backed away in response "he's not a _thing,_ not an _it,_ HE has a _name!_ "

"I-"

"Freddy is _mine!"_ Mark continued, eyes blazing with anger as he stepped towards Felix, standing on his own now with an unknown strength "he's not some mindless monster! I _heard_ him! And if _anyone_ tried to separate us, I-"

"Skree..."

Mark stopped and turned around to look back at Freddy, who had once again let out a quiet whine of sorts, but instead of sitting in the chair like before, Freddy was now _standing._

Mark raised his eyebrows out of surprise as Freddy towered over him from his grand height of 7 feet, his top hat just barely brushing up against the ceiling. There was a moment of silence before Freddy suddenly extended his microphone-less hand out and up to his face.

The moment his large, fuzzy, animatronic fingers brushed up against his face, Mark felt a sudden sense of comfort, something he wasn't quite familiar with. He could feel his body relaxing, the burning anger and protectiveness he had previously felt beginning to subside. Mark blinked rapidly before slowly reaching up and wrapping his fingers around Freddy's larger, four fingered paw-hand.

"I-I trust you" the words tumbled out, incoherent as Mark was struggling to enunciate through the tears that had returned to his eyes. Mark rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Freddy's tough, fuzzy body as he pulled him into a long awaited embrace.

"I-I don't care what they say... _I trust you.._."

Mark felt his brow furrowing as a draft suddenly wafted by, disturbing their precious moment _"is a window open or something?_ " He thought as he squeezed his eyes shut _"will someone close that already?"_

"Skree!"

Mark flinched away as an abrupt, short screech burst from Freddy's body, startling him into taking a step back "wh-what? Not a hugger-?" He cut himself short as the draft suddenly worsened, almost like wind as it was actually tossing his hair to the side. He blinked before letting his jaw drop and spinning around to see a rough, barren wasteland bordered by a thick cloud of red mist.

"Wh-What the _fuuuuccckk!?"_ Mark practically screamed as he spun around in circles, taking in his surrounds as fast as he could "I... I... _How!?"_ He whirled around to gawk at a rather calm-looking Freddy "h... how did we get all the way out here!?"

Mark quickly froze up; mouth falling open as he realized what had happened "you can teleport..." He whispered aloud, turning to look at the Mist, which was a few yards away "but... But... Why? Why take me here-"

 _Clank... Clank... Clank..._

Mark blinked, turning to look at Freddy as a metallic clanking became audible, yet he was surprised to see that Freddy was motionless, staring out at the Mist.

 _Clank... Clank... Clank..._

He slowly followed the animatronic's gaze, his breath leaving him as he did so.

 _Clank... Clank... Clank..._

Mark could only gawk as a partially hidden figure began to emerge from the Mist, the red, thick fog clinging to their body as they stepped out into clearer air, as if they were walking out of a cloud. As the lingering fog dissipated, Mark was left with a mind-blowing sight.

Their body was that of a faded blue, almost purplish against the rising sun. A red electric guitar within its fuzzy grasp, and an equally red bow tie under its chin. It was too far away for Mark to see the color of its eyes, but what Mark _did_ see were two rabbit's ears sticking up from its head, bent forward near their rounded tips.

"A... A bunny?" Mark eventually stammered as the animatronic rabbit continued it's slow, noisy advance "b... but... Wait..." Mark turned to look at Freddy, who had not taken his own eyes off of the bunny "there... There are _more_ of you?"

Without waiting for a response, Mark whirled back around, a huge grin on his face as he was suddenly ecstatic at the thought. Mark took a shuddering breath, positively overwhelmed as he was practically in ecstasy at this point. Mark felt his eyes burn with tears of pure, unbridled joy as he, without thinking, shot his hand up into the air in an arching motion.

"Hi!" He yelled, waving his hand in a frantic manner "Hey! Over here! How are-"

Mark stopped, blinking as he thought he was seeing a mirage of sorts, but after a few seconds he soon realized that wasn't the case. Mark looked around, confused as all hell as the bunny had suddenly vanished from sight, leaving him both stunned and slightly concerned "e-eh? Wh-what the...?" He looked side to side "F-Freddy? Where did it go?"

Just as he said that, Mark suddenly felt a chill run up his spine, making him shiver violently. Mark hesitated before looking over his shoulder, his blood going cold as all he saw was the red, streaking blur of a guitar.


	21. Chapter 22

Mark finally managed to properly react by screaming like a little girl and dropping down onto the ground, covering the back of his head with both hands as the guitar came close to decapitating him.

Ca- _CHUNK!_

Mark blinked rapidly, hesitating before looking up as an odd, metallic sound suddenly came from above. He gawked as he saw Freddy standing there, the guitar intercepted by both of his paw-hands. His microphone laying in the dust beside his feet. Mark quickly jumped up, backing away with wide eyes as he saw that the bunny was the one wielding the guitar, leaning against Freddy's unwavering grip as if it thought it could push the bear down with force alone.

That was then that Mark got his first good look at its eyes, and he felt his heart skip a best as he did so. Each eye had apparently been consumed by an orange, mucus like substance. They practically pulsed out from its animatronic face as if each individual eye was connected to a heartbeat of sorts. They were quite the contrast to Freddy's clear, circular blue eyes. Mark felt sick, continuing to back away as he reached a startling conclusion.

 _"Orange eyes... Like a Virus..."_

The bunny eventually began to try and tear the guitar out of Freddy's hands, but the animatronic bear was unmoving. Freddy suddenly turned his head ever-so-slightly, glancing at Mark out of the corner of his eye. Mark returned the look, unsure of what to do. He had thought this rabbit was another Character from whatever game Freddy hailed from… No… That was certain. Yet their haunting, Virus-like eyes seemed foreign to their overall design. They obviously didn't belong.

 _Clank! Clank! Clank!_

Mark stiffened before whirling around to look back at the Mist as another metallic like sound began to echo out, louder and more frequent than the bunny's walking cycle "wh-what…?"

Mark recoiled as something yellow suddenly shot out from the Mist. This blur of yellow lunged straight for him, going so fast that Mark couldn't even comprehend what it looked like. He had no time to react, unable to even scream as this yellow mass was quickly upon him.

Ca- _CHUNK!_

Mark found himself falling to his hands and knees, covering his head once again as he was once more in danger of being utterly pulverized. He stayed down, looking up fearfully at the second pair of orange, unnatural eyes that stared back.

While Freddy was a bear, and the aggressive bunny was... Well... A bunny, this animatronic took the form of a _chicken_. Their beak was opened wide. Their white, blocky teeth dangerously close to Mark's face, Freddy's hand being the only thing that was holding it back.

Mark was surprised that Freddy could even manage to hold both of these Characters back with only one hand for each. He now held the bunny by the face, the guitar in the dirt and under one of his bulky brown feet. His other hand was clamped down over the top portion of the chicken's beak. Mark continued to keep low, crawling backwards as the chicken's yellow hands groped at the air in front of itself, coming awfully close to grabbing him.

"W-Well this is awkward" Mark found himself blurting out as he hunkered down in between Freddy's legs, barely out of both the bunny and the chicken's reach "h-hey Freddy? Is this another trail?" He craned his neck back so he could look up at Freddy's face "wh-what's going on? Wh-What's wrong with their eyes!?"

Freddy glanced down at him, but didn't make any sort of noise in response. In fact, he didn't do anything. Mark winced as he heard the bunny and the chicken begin to groan, lashing out at Freddy and Mark with their bare hands. Freddy just stood there and held them at bay, not even trying to escape from the predicament he was in.

" _I'd kill for a connection right about now!_ " Mark thought, frowning as he slowly stood up, clinging to Freddy as the chicken came awfully close to grabbing him " _I'm so confused... What the hell is happening!?"_

 _CLANKCLANKCLANKCLANK!_

Mark screamed out of fright as there was a sudden blur of red and brown, appearing right in front of him, revealing a large, mechanical mouth lined with dangerously sharp teeth, lunging strait for his face.

 _"Skree!"_

Mark recoiled and covered his ears as a sudden high pitched shriek of sorts exploded out of Freddy, causing him to fall to his knees, yelling as the following pain in his ears was sharp and lasting, the gaping jaws of sharpened teeth were long forgotten as Freddy's scream left him horribly dissoriented.

Just as he fell to the ground, something suddenly hit his leg. With a distinct ringing in his ears, Mark reopened his eyes to see Freddy's microphone in the dirt, right under his knee. Mark was scarcely aware that whatever had tried to take a bite out of his face had missed and was now coming back for a second attack.

That was when Mark understood why Freddy had screamed so suddenly, and as he reached that conclusion, he squeezed his eyes shut and put all of his trust in the bear. He grabbed the microphone, jumping up to his feet before thrusting the microphone up into the air, the glinting teeth just now just inches away as the microphone was held up in front of Freddy's mouth.

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

Mark tried his best to cover his ears with only one hand, gritting his teeth as Freddy screamed into the microphone, the sound echoing out at an intense frequency, so intense in fact that Mark felt like he was going to have a panic attack just listening to it.

As he got used to the horrid noise, he looked forward to see the mechanical jaw of his attacker. Mark shuddered as this fourth animatronic appeared to be a _fox_ in some sort of _ragged pirate attire_. While they had an eye patch meant for their right eye, it was flipped up, revealing the mucus infested sockets that the other animatronics had in common.

Mark shuddered as he soon realized that this orange goo was spazzing out violently, the entire fox trembling as this foreign substance shook and fought against the holes of their animatronic face. Mark quickly glanced at the bunny and chicken, shocked to see that they were having similar reactions. They twitched uncontrollably, the goo jerking around, and Mark was quick to realize the problem.

 _"That stuff... It can't handle high frequencies!"_

"S-Sorry!" He cried as he kicked the chicken in the chest, knocking it backwards so Freddy's hand was free. With that, Freddy quickly took the microphone, allowing Mark to duck away from the fox.

 _"I_ knew _it... Something's wrong here!"_ Mark covered his ears with both hands as Freddy continued to scream, keeping the animatronics frozen in place " _if Freddy can handle his own scream, so should they... Yet..."_

Mark went to the bunny first, frantically looking over the purplish blue suit that covered it's endoskeleton as he knew Freddy couldn't keep screaming forever "come on... Come on..." He took a breath before uncovering his ears, grimacing as he stuck his hands down into the front of the bunny's suit, just above its red bow tie. He frowned as his fingers barely fit into the gap that separated the coverings from the endoskeleton, but found relief as his fingers were quick to locate a button of sorts within the mechanics.

Mark quickly pressed it, gasping as the front of it literally sprang off into his arms. And with it came a most unwelcoming site.

Mark yelled as a small _Virus_ leaped out, its tiny shriek drowned out by Freddy's scream, which had begun to waver at this point. Mark continued to yell as he kicked the ugly thing away, leaving it to scuffle in the dirt as he put the chest piece back onto the bunny "Wh-what the hell!?"

Just then, Freddy's scream went silent.

Mark froze, his blood running cold as he could hear the creak of Freddy's machinery. He could tell the animatronic bear was strained, exhausted from such a lengthy scream. Mark turned to see the chicken and fox turning to look at him, Freddy's movements being too stiff and weak to stop them from lunging strait for Mark.

 _TWAN-N-N-N-NNNG!_

Mark found himself falling back onto his arse as a red guitar suddenly swept through the air, clonking both the chicken and fox right in the face with just one swing. They went stumbling back, their mechanical joints groaning as the bunny stepped into view, wielding the guitar as if it was a battle axe. Mark looked up at it, speechless as it glanced back down at him, the mucus that once plagued its insides was now gone, revealing two, pink pupils against the whites of their eyes.

Mark immediately turned to see the small Virus crawling away, covered in a large quantity of dust as it continued to make a feeble attempt to escape. Mark looked between the bunny and Virus several times before leaping up from the ground, rushing up to the disoriented chicken without saying a word.

He barely reacted as he heard the fox get hit with the guitar once more, buying him more time as he searched for the button to open up the chicken's stomach like he had done with the rabbit.

Mark jumped back; the yellow chest plate in his arms as the chicken finally regained its bearings, but upon discovery, the Virus within was quick to jump out with a shriek. Mark punted it away, sending it flying into the other Virus, which screamed in response to the surprise collision.

"Y-Yeek!" Mark snapped the yellow chest piece back onto the chicken just as the fox suddenly appeared beside him, a metal hook, which was in place of its right hand, lashing out at his face.

Mark ducked down, but that proved unnecessary as a yellow hand suddenly came into view, smacking the hook away just as the red guitar came crashing down onto the fox's head.

As the fox stumbled back from the impact, Freddy appeared behind it, his strength returning as he gave the fox a good _whack_ with his microphone, one of his brown paw-hands grabbing hold of its snout, holding its jaw closed so it couldn't bite.

Without a word, Mark darted forward and stuck his hands into the gap, freeing the plate with ease, yet instead of letting the Virus jump out on its own; Mark reached in and ripped it out with a sudden ferocity, its following shriek almost pitiful as it squirmed within Mark's ever-tightening grasp.

"Fuck off!" Mark yelled before tossing the Virus away, sending it flying into the other two Viruses, who hadn't quite yet recovered from the previous collision. With that, Mark pushed the plate back onto the fox before sinking to the ground, landing on his knees as he couldn't bother to stand. His entire body was shaking, his breathing labored as he slowly reached up to touch his forehead.

"Wh-What... The fuck... Did they _do_ to you?" He eventually choked out, shaking his head side to side, both of his hands now covering his eyes "Wh... what _happened!?_ Why... Why were they INSIDE of you!?" He reared back, crying profusely as he looked up at the four animatronic animals that had now formed a circle around him.

"Why were you _out_ there!?" Mark continued, clenching his shaky fists as his voice rose into a shrill cry, echoing across the barenn landscape "why couldn't I hear you!? Why weren't you in my Antechamber!? Just... Just... WHY!? _WHAT HAPPENED!?"_

 **"It's me."**

Mark froze, mouth falling agape as he suddenly felt an odd presence, a mysterious vibe suddenly consuming him. Still on his knees, Mark pivoted around to see something behind him... Something yellow.

It wasn't the chicken, who was standing near Mark's front. This was a different animatronic, a fifth, and this one was drastically different. Their yellow had a different tone compared to the chicken, it was more of a... _Golden_... Not only that, but it was a _bear_ , like Freddy.

 _"A..._ _Golden Freddy?_ " Mark could only stare at this fifth animatronic, sucking in a breath as he took in its posture. It was slumped over, sitting on the ground with its head tilted to the side. It looked... Empty... It was nothing more than a spineless suit, yet through the darkness of the eye holes of its mask, Mark could make out two, small white dots. They stared back at him through the empty void of its head, apparently acting as eyes for this motionless suit.

Mark met its gaze, his breathing uneven as a robotic, gender less voice echoed throughout his mind, resembling Freddy's own voice to a point.

 **"It's me."**

Mark bit his lip, looking around at the ring that the animatronics had formed around him, eyes going wide as he began to hear several different kinds of voices, each sharing a robotic, gender less tone, yet each voice was oddly unique in a way, having different pitches and speeds, and they all said the same thing, over and over again.

 **"It's me."**

 **"It's me."**

 **"It's me."**

 **"It's me."**

 **"It's me."**

Mark shuddered, the world around him practically spinning as he got lost in these voices. Now that he was listening, he could distinctively make out five separate voices in total, including Freddy's. He found himself standing up, beginning to turn around in circles as the voices continued, his gaze examining every single animatronic. Their details stood out to him, like white crayon against black paper.

The bunny's red bow tie was smaller than Freddy's black one, but only slightly. Their teeth were rounded, while Freddy and the chicken had blocky teeth. Their nose was bigger than anyone else's, and their bright, pink eyes reflected an overbearing emotion of some kind.

 _"Bonnie..."_ Mark thought.

The chicken had a wider chest than the others, and the eye holes in their animatronic mask were wider, yet their purple eyes were the same size as the others. Their feet took the form of large, orange chicken feet while everybody else had paw like feet. The bib around their neck, which stated the phrase "LET'S EAT," was trapped behind the chest plate Mark had hastily placed back on, awkwardly sticking out as it had yet to be pulled free.

 _"Chica..."_

The fox had a thinner structure, the coverings along its chest and midsection torn in various areas, indicating how worn out it was. Their eye patch was still flipped up, revealing that there he wasn't missing an eye in the first place. They both reflected a golden yellow, shining brightly in the sunlight.

 _"Foxy..."_

Mark eventually stopped spinning, making it so that Freddy stood directly in front of him, microphone still in hand as they met each other's gaze. Mark was aware that this mysterious _'Golden Freddy'_ was still behind him, yet now Freddy was all he could focus on.

Mark barely reacted as the ground suddenly began to tremble underneath his feet, quaking in intervals as if they were footsteps. Mark slowly turned towards the Mist, craning his neck back as a colossal figure suddenly straitened up, freeing itself from the shelter of the Mist.

The sudden appearance of a Virus was something Mark wasn't exactly expecting, yet his surprise was at a minimum considering he was right next to the Mist. Yet as the earth shook more and more, and as the features of this Virus came into full detail, Mark quickly understood what was so special about this Virus.

It resembled a human on a disturbing level, with two legs and two arms, their hands fully equips with four fingers and a thumb each. Yet its face and posture was obscured, distorted, more beast like than anything. Two, massive wings arched out from its back as it began to lean down, it's massive head protruding out and down towards Mark as if it was trying to get a better look at him and the mechanical misfits that now stood at Mark's sides.

What really caught Mark off guard was its energy level. Mark blankly stared up at it as its number practically imprinted itself onto his brain. Mark held its insidious gaze for a long time before turning to look at the golden Freddy. His eyebrows rose out of surprise as he saw that it had mysteriously vanished, leaving him alone with the four other animatronics.

After a moment of confusion, Mark looked back up at the Virus, which was still approaching; a miniature earthquake plaguing it's every step.

"It's me..."

The words left his mouth in a quiet whisper, his leg extending as he went to take a step forward; actually meeting this Virus head on "it's me... It has always been me..."

Mark was admittedly overwhelmed, but not because of the Virus or anything. This beast was far in the back of his mind, all of his focus on the four animatronics that had begun to walk with him. Freddy and Chica on his right, and Bonnie and Foxy on his left.

The voices had not stopped, mostly being the reason why Mark was having trouble prioritizing, yet still he walked forward. As he drew closer, Mark found himself glancing at the animatronics that were following him.

"Is that so?" He suddenly asked aloud, a frown developing on his face "for how long?"

His frown suddenly grew into a snarl, eyes shifting to glare up at the Virus "really?"

The red of his hair began to glow, rising up as if it was a flickering flame like it normally did under his command. Mark held his glare, the Virus rapidly approaching as his Warftache sprouted from under his nose, curling around to his shoulder blades.

"Did it hurt?"

Mark gave Freddy a short glance, eyes narrowing as the bear returned the look for a moment before turning back to the Virus "how much?"

He turned to look at Bonnie, who had also turned to look at him.

"The entire time?"

Foxy and Chica also contributed to their apparent conversation, giving Mark the answer he did not want to hear.

"Are you pissed?"

Mark turned to look behind him, his Warftwings snapping out from his back as he caught a glimpse of something gold.

"Well then..." Mark slowly looked back up at the Virus, raising a clenched fist up to his chest, letting it hover right over his heart.

"... We'd better return the favor..."


	22. Chapter 23

MatPat felt like he was about to have a panic attack, leaning against the wall with both of his hands clamped together, his knuckles turning white as he was gripping himself so tightly. Skip stood by his feet, looking up at him with his hackles raised and his tail standing up on end as MatPat found himself hyperventilating.

" _Oh god… Not this… Not now…"_

He felt himself sliding down the wall, letting out dry, painful sobs as he could barely comprehend the unbridled terror stirring within his breast. Skip dug his claws into MatPat's arm, yet the slight pain did little to bring him back from his horror induced daze.

"MatPat! Snap out of it!"

MatPat winced, looking up to see Felix standing over him, fists clenched and figure taunt. His face bore nothing but an odd mixture of fear and determination, appearing foreign against his facial expression and common character.

"You can't let this deter you, okay!?" Felix reached down and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him about all while pulling him up from the floor "even if it all ends today, we can't go down without a fight! I _need_ you right now!"

Felix released him, letting him stand on his own two, shaky legs "if push comes to shove, I'll risk it and go out there myself" Felix looked him right in the eye, his blue eyes sharp with the intense focus of determination "please, stay strong… For me… for _us_."

MatPat blinked rapidly before gripping his own shirt, still breathing heavy as his mouth fell open, trying to think of something to say.

"M-Mark's been _kidnapped_ …" he eventually wheezed "and… and now… this? A… _A level 70 Virus!?"_ MatPat grabbed his head, his eyes growing moist as tears began to develop "th-this is all my fault! I-I let that bear stay! I… I… I should have chased it off! Done something! N-Now Mark's been _killed_ and-"

"We don't know if he's dead" Felix dropped his voice down to a soothing whisper "that Virus's signal is so big Mark's signal could just be hidden…"

"M-Mark can't win against… _That…_ " MatPat sobbed, covering his eyes "ohhhh… What do we _do!?"_

"We do what we've done for years" Felix laid a hand onto MatPat's trembling shoulder in a gentle manner "we _fight and protect what is ours_."

MatPat sniffled, prying his hands away from his eyes so he could look back at Felix, who had suddenly switched to a more kind and approachable personality in that admirable, leader-like way of his.

"I need you to set the defenses to maximum and send reinforces after Vanoss and Jack, I sent them out already… can you do that?"

"I… Yeah…" MatPat found himself whispering, still shaking violently, yet his breathing had now evened, his hands slowly relaxing from their taunt grip "I… I'll try…"

"I believe in you" Felix gave a reassuring smile before withdrawing his hold on MatPat's shoulder "come on; let's show that ugly basterd what it means to be alive."

 **…**

"Do yeh really think Mark was kidnapped?"

Vanoss jerked his head around, putting his finger to his lips in desperation to get Jack to shut up, but the Irishman didn't seem to take the gesture to heart.

"We're miles away, the fooker can't hear us" Jack hissed in response "plus, I don't see any ears on that thing."

"If we can see it, it can see us. Same goes for hearing. A Virus has better senses than you think, especially a _level 70_ " Vanoss growled before giving a hand signal to another fighter, who was hiding a little ways away "now shut up before you catch its attention."

Jack frowned, and instead of shutting up, dropped his voice down to a low whisper "Mark and Freddy seemed like the real deal…"

"Oh my god, Jack, zip it" Vanoss struggled to keep his frustrated hiss low in volume "this is _not_ the time…"

"For an animatronic bear, it looked-"

"Jack, I'm going to shoot you right in the ass if you don't shut up" Vanoss glared at Jack one final time before summoning his sniper, propping it up on the rock they were hiding behind. He looked like he wanted to say more, yet he didn't.

Jack drew his lips back into a frustrated expression, but reluctantly held his tongue. He slowly peeked up over the rock, following the direction of Vanoss's sniper over to the Mist. They were hiding out within the farthest edge of the Wasteland, several fighters hiding amongst the crushed boulders. Even from this great distance, the Mist being a faint, red streak parallel to the horizon, Jack could clearly see this level 70 Virus, the biggest in history.

" _Mark's gotta be over there_ " Jack thought as he narrowed his eyes, his brow furrowing as he saw it's massive figure, two massive wings stretching out from his back " _hang on, you idiot, I'll get yeh out of there…"_

Jack looked down at his hands before holding them out to his side, green pixels following shortly after. He turned to look at the small crowd that was now hiding behind him, just barely in the cover of their hiding place.

 _"This is going to be a hard fight_ " the weight of that realization sat heavy on Jack's brain, making him shudder as he did a quick assessment of his Undertale Characters " _but who cares? This is my job… If that thing gets to the city…"_

Jack looked back up at the mountains that the Wasteland surrounded, just barely catching sight of another figure hiding behind a boulder farther up the mountain. Jack _still_ couldn't believe the convenience of Sky having retreated to the Wasteland just a few minutes before the Virus had appeared. He was too far away for Jack to make out his facial expression, yet he could tell even from this distance that he was struggling to remain calm, his anger just barely held back by his desperate attempts of being happy.

"On my signal, we attack" Vanoss suddenly whispered "you're part of the ground team; me and the other flyers will try to keep its attention off you. Clear?"

"Clear" Jack shuddered as he remembered that practically every fighter was hiding somewhere behind them, all except a select few who were still at the Firewall in means of a final defense in case things went south.

Vanoss then raised a hand, his middle and index finger pressed together, his thumb, ring finger, and pinky curled inward. Jack had seen this hand sign before during training; the moment those two fingers curled in to form a full fist, he was to attack at full speed. Jack gritted his teeth, hugging Sam through the pocket of his hoodie as he could see Vanoss's hand twitching, preparing to move.

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

Jack yelled and covered his ears as an almost deafening scream of sorts suddenly rolled out from the direction of the Mist. He squeezed his eyes shut, curling into a ball as the noise continued on and on. He was barely aware of Vanoss reacting in a similar manner, as well as everyone else behind him.

That was when the ground underneath them began to quake violently, the unstable mountains behind them cracking, debris crashing down into the Wasteland below. Jack could barely hear the commotion of the other fighters as they escaped the avalanche. Jack glanced back as dust flew up in a massive amount, blocking his vision almost entirely.

" _Wh…What's going on!?"_ Jack looked around wildly before jumping out from behind the rock and rushing out form the growing cloud of dust, stumbling as the ground continued to shake " _what's this sound!? Why is there an_ earthquake!?"

Jack gasped and moved his hands from his ears to his eyes as a blinding flash of light suddenly shone through the dust, making him blink rapidly. He pried his hands away from his eyes; sucking in a breath as the dust in front of him moved back to reveal what could only be referred to as a _fucking pillar of goddamn fire._

Jack stepped back as he felt a sudden wave of heat, fire spiraling up from the ground and towards the heavens, but what was truly baffling was the fact that it was coming from near the Mist, and even then, Jack was nearly scorched from the immense heat it was letting off. Jack continued to back away, breathing hard as he reached up to pull at the collar of his shirt as he found himself sweating profusely from this intense heat.

"Wh-What the hell is that!?" Vanoss yelled over the roar of the blazing inferno, which had now replaced the shrill scream "V-Virus's can't control fire, right!? C…Could it be…?"

Jack froze up at that, his eyes widening before glancing back at Vanoss.

 _"Mark…"_

Jack took off as fast as he could, summoning his skateboard. He kicked at the ground frantically, rushing towards the inferno as fast as he could. He found himself panting, his vision growing blurry as the fire drew closer and closer, embers flying by him as a blast of scorching air rushed across his face, spinning in a vortex as it was caught in the fire.

Jack gasped as his skateboard suddenly caught on a rock hidden by the storm, sending him flying down into the hot sand. He yelped and jumped up, almost immediately knocked down by the howling wind. The source was still far away, yet Jack was insanely uncomfortable. He squinted against the whirling embers, looking straight at the pillar of fire within.

"Mark!" Jack cried out, practically screaming in desperation to be heard "MARK!"

Jack gasped and looked around wildly as something suddenly blew by him, nearly knocking him off his feet "w-what the-"

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

Jack winced and covered his ears once more as another shrill scream worked it's way through the roar of the flames "o-ow! What-"

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

 _"SKRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"_

 _"YYYEEEAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

Jack froze an a more human voice suddenly joined in with this seemingly unholy chorus of screams, and even through the howl of the conflagration, Jack immediately recognized it.

Just as he went to call out his name one more time, he was sent sprawling down to the ground by a violent blast of air, even stronger than before. He thrashed around in the burning sand, trying his best to stand up as quickly as he could so his hands wouldn't burn against the sand.

"O-Ow! Ow!" Jack finally managed to stand, rubbing his hands as they stung from the heat, and that was when he realized something. His mouth fell agape as he looked up to see that the fire was _gone_ , as if it had been nothing but an illusion.

Yet the scorched earth underneath was enough proof that such a fire had indeed existed at some point, but what truly baffling was how fast it had disappeared.

"Jack, you fucking moron!"

Jack turned around just in time to get slapped across the face by a breathless (and infuriated) Vanoss "are you _insane!?_ " Vanoss shook him around by the shoulders "the fuck were you _thinking,_ running strait at it!?"

Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Vanoss apparently wasn't in the mood for excuses and continued to scold him, slapping him across the face once more as if he was attempting to literally slap the sense into him "you could've gotten killed, you idiot!"

Vanoss raised his hand to hit Jack for a third time, yet before he could do so, his movements suddenly went rigid, eyes widening as he released Jack and turned to look at the Mist "th-the fuck did it go?"

Jack's eyebrows rose as he realized what Vanoss was talking about, He scanned the Mist, backing away as he saw the blatant absence of a certain level 70 Virus. That was when he focused his gaze to the land in front of him, something catching his eye, glowing against the red horizon before them. Something _pink._

"MARK!" Jack screamed at the top of his lungs before hauling ass towards the Mist... Or he _would_ of if Vanoss hadn't caught him by the back of his hoodie, yanking him to a halt.

"Oh no you don't!" Vanoss wrestled him down to the ground against his will, ignoring his noisy protest as best as he could "you're not going anywhere, Jack!"

"B-But Mark!" Jack cried, still fighting against Vanoss's much more muscular build "h-he's out there! Look!"

"You really trust that!? After everything that just happened-"

"Ayyyyy, Jack-a-boy!"

Both Vanoss and Jack stopped and looked in the direction of the glowing pink thingie, both of their mouths falling agape as they saw that it was closer than before... _much closer._

Since we was on the ground, Jack had to tilt his head back in order to look at Mark, who stood less than two feet away from his head. He stood with his hands on his hips, the red of his hair fluffed up and practically standing on end in the most awkward way possible. His glasses were filthy, yet even through the dust Jack could see the bright, energized gleam in his eyes.

Yet what stood out the most was the fact that he was laughing, flashing a toothy grin as he continued to chuckle, squeezing his eyes shut as he couldn't keep his composure. Mark swayed side to side as if he was intoxicated, making Jack and Vanoss exchange an awkward glance as he continued to giggle, laughing like the village idiot.

That was, until he collapsed.

"M-Mark!" Jack wiggled his way out of Vanoss's restraining grip as Mark toppled over, hitting the ground like a sack of potatoes. Jack crawled over, quickly kneeling down beside him "Mark! Speak to me!"

"Ehehh..." Mark weakly murmured as Jack cradled his larger build into his arms, resting his head down onto his knees in means of keeping it out of the hot sand "J... Jack? Oh... Hi, Jack..." Mark giggled, clearly too disoriented to process the situation seriously "h... how are you?"

"H-How am I!?" Jack screeched "what about yeh!? What happened!? Where's the Virus!?"

"Virus...?" Mark squinted up at him before suddenly relaxing, chuckling softly as he let himself go limp in Jack's arms.

"M-Mark!? Mark!?" Jack shook him around, eyes wide as he was beginning to panic "V-Vanoss! Go get help!" He gave the sharpshooter a frantic look "please!"

However, by the time Jack had turned to look at him, Vanoss was already running off to the other fighters, shouting at the top of his lungs. Jack felt a small twang of relief, quickly turning back to his supposedly loony friend "c-come on, Mark, stay awake! Stay with me!"

"Jack..." Mark's eyes had closed by now, a smile still on his face "I feel... Happy... Jack..."

Mark then raised a hand, reaching up to ruffle Jack's green hair in a playful manner, which he had not been expecting "floof the hair" he suddenly whispered before succumbing to a fit of laughter, his voice soft as he was obviously drifting off into unconsciousness.

"Mark!?" Jack cried as Mark's hand suddenly fell from his hair, falling into the hot sand with a thud "d-don't yeh dare die on me!"

"Die?" Mark's eyes suddenly opened again, looking up at him with an emotion Jack couldn't describe, yet he was still smiling, still chuckling, still unusually happy "I... I'm not dying... No..."

Mark suddenly pushed against the ground with his hands, lifting himself up so his face was just mere inches away from Jack's own face.

"...I've never felt so _alive..."_

The moment he whispered those words, Mark closed his eyes and collapsed back into Jack's arms, making him scream in protest and continue shaking him around, the other fighters finally reaching them. Jack let out a choking sob as Mark was swiftly lifted from his arms, taken away without hesitation.

"We need to get him to the medical bay, NOW!" Vanoss ordered, ushering them along "we need to fly over the mountain, it'll take to long to go around! Flyers, help me with him!"

With that, Vanoss wrapped his arms around Mark's body and summoned his own wings, taking off almost immediately, leaving the other flyers to scramble after him, hurrying up to fly at his side and underneath him, arms outstretched to help support Mark's weight without crashing into each other.

Jack stayed down in the dirt, one of his arms outstretched after Mark, sobbing as he was soon out of sight. He couldn't help but feel like he would never see him again... That was, until, he caught sight of something gold.


	23. Chapter 24

"A _golden_ animatronic?"

Jack nodded, keeping his eyes on Mark rather than Felix, whom he was speaking to. His hands were clasped tightly around Mark's limp arm, as if he was trying to keep the unconscious AI from leaving, even though he was clearly going to be asleep for a while. His glasses had been removed and set on the nightstand Jack was currently sitting next to, his flannel neatly hung up on the corner of his bed frame. Jack found the image of Mark without his glasses to be almost unnatural to him, since he had been wearing glasses for as long he had known him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes… Well… It looked _sorta_ gold. Not shiny, like an ingot. Just yellowish… Kinda faded and discolored" Jack found himself whispering "It was right there, right next to me before… I had to leave it" he admitted, his eyes fixated on Mark's still, peaceful face "I knew it… It was Mark's. It was from that same game, but… It looked really, _really_ scary and… Well… That's not important…"

Jack glanced up at Felix for only a second before turning back to Mark "the moment I saw it… I just knew it was a sign… That Mark would be okay…"

"That's sounds awfully whimsical, coming from you" MatPat spoke up as he continued to look Mark over from the other side of the bed they had laid him in, the rest of the medical bay void of any other visitors "you feeling alright, Jack?"

Jack shook his head, closing his eyes "no... Not at all…"

"I don't blame you… I mean… What the hell?" MatPat looked up at Felix "did Mark really just do the impossible? Something even you would have struggled with?"

"Apparently so" Felix's frown was immense, his eyes narrowed as he watched over his unconscious friend "I'm _still_ struggling to believe it, even if most of our fighters can attest to that fact."

"But… It was a _level 70 Virus_ …" MatPat looked back at Mark "and he literally _incinerated_ it…"

" _Incinerated?_ More like _vaporized_ …"

Jack blinked and looked up to see Vanoss walking into the medical bay, his movements as taunt as his facial expression "practically roasted us all alive, rising up from the ground like some goddanm phoenix or some shit." His voice was dry, his _Owl's eyes_ looking down at Mark with an almost accusing look "didn't think it was him at first, I mean, who the fuck was expecting this?"

"Freddy, obviously."

Even Vanoss looked surprised to see Sky wander in after him, looking more exhausted than Jack had ever seen him. He stopped to stand beside Vanoss, his brown gaze flickering from Mark to Jack in a hyperactive manner despite his obvious lack of energy "sure, it looked like a kidnapping at first… But Freddy was the real deal…" He shook his head side to side; closing his eyes as he reached up to take his glasses off his face so he could rub his eyes "I can only assume that… Freddy helped him kill that thing…"

"Uh… I don't see how an animatronic bear with a top hat equals _giant pillar of motherfucking fire_ …"

"No… _That_ was all Mark… Somehow…" Sky put his glasses back onto his face, taking a deep breath as he straightened up, running a hand through his curly hair "I can't tell you anything else without more information about Freddy himself… I-"

"I saw a golden animatronic."

Sky blinked and looked over at Jack "really?"

"Yeah…" Jack looked back down at Mark "but… I had to run after Mark. It must have gone back into the Antechamber afterwards…"

"Could you… Describe it? In detail?"

As Jack dove into its physical traits, he was vaguely aware of MatPat reaching down to feel Mark's head, brushing the hair out of his eyes as he looked him over for what had to be the tenth time. As he talked, Jack was constantly glancing at MatPat as he worked, desperately searching for a reaction from him.

Jack took a breath as he ran out of things to say, leaving Sky with a disgruntled look on his face "that sounds… Disturbing…" he rubbed his chin "but why would it look like _that?"_

Jack shrugged "Don't know…" he murmured quietly, giving Mark one last sullen look before covering his eyes with both hands "good god… What the fook is _happening?_ "

"Hhhhhwazzat?"

Jack froze up for a split second before tearing his hands away from his eyes and looking back at Mark. His eyes grew as large as the sun as he saw that Mark was _sitting upright._

"Y-Yeek!" MapPat jerked his hand back as if he wasn't excepting Mark to suddenly rise up like he had. In fact, everyone was surprised, backing away from Mark as if he was possessed. Yet he obviously didn't look it.

"mmm… What's going on?" Mark rubbed his eyes, yawning loudly before giving everyone a sleepy look "why… Why does everyone look like I'm dying?"

"Oh… Oh my _god_ … _MARK!"_ Jack threw his arms around Mark, knocking the air out of him as he pulled him as close as physically possible "y-yer awake!"

"Ow! Uh… yeah?" Mark wheezed as he gave Jack a confused look "what's going on?"

"Do… Do you have amnesia or something?" Vanoss suddenly muttered, crossing his arms as everyone else reveled over Mark's awakening "you just-"

"Hm? Oh, that Virus… Yeah, I remember" Mark let Jack continue to squeeze him, a smile spreading across his face "we fucked that guy up, huh?"

 _"'We?'"_ Vanoss narrowed his Owl's eyes "who helped you?"

"Uh… Let's see" Jack pulled away as Mark looked down at his hands, counting his fingers as he began to list of names.

"Freddy… Bonnie… Chica… Foxy-"

"Wait, hold up, who?"

"These guys!"

MatPat screamed and clung to Felix as there was a sudden flurry of red pixels, which quickly fell away to reveal a total of four animatronics standing around his bed. Jack squeaked as he found himself sandwiched in between two of them; a bluish purple bunny with a red guitar and a worn looking Fox with an eye patch and hook. Freddy stood on Mark's other side, a yellow chicken standing beside the animatronic bear, a bib around its neck that bore the words "LET'S EAT" in big, bold words.

"What the fuck!? There are more of them now!?" MatPat screeched, hiding behind Felix and Vanoss as the animatronics turned to look at them, a mechanical whirring following their every movement "wh-what the hell!? Just… _WHY!?"_

"O-Oh god I don't think I can handle this…" Sky whispered "I-I'm about to lose it…"

"It's okay" Mark spoke up, smiling at them, his eyes shining "they won't hurt anyone. They're my _Characters_ , after all… They… They came from the Mist, like Freddy had."

"Wh-What?" Felix asked, raising his eyebrows "it's actually legit?"

"I've said that already" Sky pointed out before starting to head for the door.

Jack pursed his lips together as he watched him turn to leave, looking down as he knew he should have been expecting this.

"Hey, Sky, stay" Felix suddenly spoke up, shocking everyone except Mark, who appeared to be lost in his own happiness "you might want to hear what he has to say…"

Sky blinked, looking at him for a while before looking down at his feet "sure. I'll… I'll be in the corner" he whispered before walking over and sitting down in the far corner of the room, hugging his knees as he tried to remain calm under the gazes of these animatronics.

Jack found himself hesitating before looking up at the fox that stood beside him "uh… I'm guessing this is Foxy?" He asked as casually as possible failing miserably as his voice cracked halfway through.

"Yup. The bunny is Bonnie, and Chica is the chicken."

"Th… That chicken has the same name as your dog…"

Mark blinked rapidly as Felix pointed that out "oh… yeah… Boy that's going to be confusing" Mark let out a laugh before pivoting to stand up from the bed "oh, and speaking of which… Here girl!"

Jack couldn't help but notice Chica having a serious problem being surrounded by four giant animatronics, even with her owner's affectionate, reassuring greeting "heya, Chica-bica! Sorry for cooping you up for so long! You happy to see me?"

Chica woofed and leaned against his leg, warily glancing up at the chicken who shared the same name "aw, come on, girl! It's okay!" Mark raised his hand, summoning the tiny box Tim as well "they're with us, its okay!"

"Does… Does this mean you can hear them?"

Mark looked up at MatPat as he uttered those words, looking more alive than he had in years "oh… _yes,_ MatPat… _yes_ …"

He stood upright, holding his hands out to the sides as he glanced back at his gang of mechanical misfits, a gleam of pride in his eyes "I haven't heard voices… In so _long_ … Oh… _Fuck yes!"_ He suddenly pumped his fist before jumping up off the ground and right up onto the bed out of what appeared to be pure joy, whooping as he did so.

Jack stared up as Mark jumped around on the bed, tiny box Tim and Chica the dog warily watching him as he continued to act like a toddler, yelling out of triumph in an extremely exaggerated way. He laughed throughout his shouting, nearly breaking the bed underneath him as he unleashed his excitement. Jack was personally on awe, having never seen Mark in such a lively way. It was almost fascinating, watching him make an utter fool of himself as he eventually leaped off the bed, landing onto the ground with a noisy _ka-thump,_ still laughing his ass off as he nearly crashed into the very animatronics he had just befriended.

"So… Uh…" Sky suddenly spoke up from where he sat "can… can you tell us why they were in the Mist?"

Jack winced as Mark's laughter suddenly came to a dead halt, leaving an eerie silence in the air as all the emotion suddenly trained from his face. The animatronics turned to look at Mark as the red haired Korean lowered his gaze down towards Sky. The bright shine in his brown eyes long gone, instead replaced with a darkness that Jack had not seen in a long time, not since he had flipped out and attacked Vanoss in Felix's apartment. It was a look of _anger,_ but not directed to Sky in any way. It appeared distant, yet it still made Mark's hands curl up into fists, his brow furrowing as he went to glare down at the floor in between his feet.

"M-Mark?" MatPat's voice was shaky, just as shocked as everyone else by this sudden shift in attitude. Jack shuddered and glanced up at the animatronics, freezing up as he saw them just as stiff as Mark had become. Their eyes were locked onto Mark with a robotic intensity, as if they were waiting for him to do something remarkable.

Jack shrank away from the two that were on either side of him, suddenly afraid of what was to happen next. He didn't like this tension, this unease that hung in the air like toxic smog. Jack looked back at Mark, whose muscles were showing through his shirt, his fists clenched so tightly that a few veins were bulging out along his arms and neck.

"Mark?" Vanoss echoed MatPat's previous attempt of communication "what's wrong?"

Mark's seemingly furious gaze flicked up to Vanoss's face before he slowly reached over to the bed frame where his red flannel was still hanging, his movements slow and meticulous as if he was buying himself time, and it was at that moment when Jack realized just how conflicted he was.

"I'll tell you what's _wrong_ " He suddenly growled, his voice cold and ripe with fury as he put his flannel on. He straitened his collar out, leaving the flannel unbuttoned as he reached over the bed to pick up his glasses from the nightstand "what's wrong is what they've been through."

"And what does _that_ mean?" Vanoss crossed his arms, unfazed by Mark's sudden coldness.

"When they came out from the Mist, guess what they did?" Mark put his glasses onto his face before reaching up to run a hand through his long, red hair "obviously, they attacked me… But something was wrong. This wasn't a trail, like Freddy's had been _… oh no_ …"

Jack blinked rapidly as Mark suddenly developed the tone of an expositional villain, even though he was obviously one of the good guys.

"They were trying to _kill_ me… And with Freddy's help I was able to figure out why" Mark met Vanoss's gaze evenly "they're not evil, they never were. They were _infected_."

Mark re-clenched his fists, looking up at Freddy " _literally._ I opened them up… inside each one except Freddy, there was a _Virus."_

"Wh-What!?" MatPat took a step back, eyes wide "A-A _what!?"_

"You heard me right" Mark turned to look at him "they were being _controlled_ … _Used_ …"

"B-But… How did they manage…?"

"I don't know how" Mark admitted, looking down "and… They don't want to talk about it right now" Mark glanced back at the animatronics "they're _traumatized_. Whatever they went through, they want to try and forget it. They're like kids… They were _innocent_ …"

Mark bit his lip, his fists shaking as he was clenching them so hard "but… what they _WILL_ tell me is _this_ : They were _stolen._ "

"What? No, that's impossible" Felix spoke up, taking a step forward "are you seriously implying that the Viruses _stole_ your Characters!?"

"That's not just impossible, that's… that's _insane!_ " Jack found himself standing up, eyes wide as he struggled to processes this "a-aren't Characters directly linked to the Core and their Summoners!? How could something as brain-dead as a _Virus_ intercept that signal!?"

"Again, I don't know" Mark turned to look at Jack "and it's not like they're not telling me… Even _they_ don't know…"

Mark sat back down onto the bed, pinching the bridge of his nose as a heavy sigh escaped him "I've never felt so happy in my life yet… Knowing that something as dreadful as _this_ is the truth... God…" he ran his fingers through his hair once again "I don't even know their motivations… they never used them as weapons… They just… _kept_ them there…"

"Uh… I'd hate to pressure you but… Why was Freddy _not_ infected?"

Mark glanced up at Freddy before turning to look at MatPat "he doesn't want to talk about it."

"Uh… okay?"

"Hey… Mark" Jack walked around the bed to sit beside him "what about the other one?"

"What?" Mark suddenly straitened up, giving him a shocked look.

"Yeh know, the golden one."

"I- wait, Golden Freddy?" Mark stood up from the bed with a sudden energy, eyes wide "how do you know about Golden Freddy?"

"Uh… I…"

"I've never summoned him around you… How…?"

"He was out there, when they were carrying yeh home" Jack squeaked, slightly flustered "and… Shouldn't it be, yeh know, Golden _Bonnie?"_

Jack gasped and covered his ears as there was a sudden _clank_ of metal behind him, causing him to turn around to see Freddy standing _right next to him,_ his breath catching in his throat as he saw Freddy's eyes had turned pitch black, his pupils glowing white as his lower jaw had begun to twitch, snapping open and closed repeatedly, producing a high pitched clank every second. In fact, all of the animatronics were reacting in a similar way, snapping their mouths opening and closing so violently that it scared not only Jack, but everyone else in the room as a metallic chorus formed, all of their eyes black and white, just like Freddy's.

"Wh-What the hell are they doing!?" Vanoss yelled before rushing forward and grabbing Jack by the front of his shirt, dragging him off the bed and away from the spazzing animatronics "Mark! Get your robots under control!"

Yet Mark apparently didn't give a flying fuck about Vanoss and rushed forward to grab Jack by the shoulders, shaking him around violently as his voice rose into a shrill cry "What did you just say!? What did you just SAY!?"

"O-OW! Mark! Y-Yer hurting me!" Jack cried as Mark continued to shake him about "s-stop! Ow!"

"Mark! What are you doing!? Stop-"

"Jack, _answer me NOW!"_ Mark droned out Felix's command with his own, putting Jack's resistance to a halt at the sudden desperation in his voice. His eyes were wide, brewing with fear and panic, which Jack was no expecting to see at all "Jack, did you just say _GOLDEN BONNIE!?"_

"Y-Yes! Yes!" Jack cried "b-because Bonnie's a bunny, right!? Right!?"

Jack gasped as he was suddenly released, causing him to stumble back onto the chest of Vanoss, who was quick to pull him away from Mark "wh-what the hell is wrong with you!?" he yelled at Mark "you _hurt_ him, you asshole-"

Vanoss was cut off by a blur of red, as well as the sudden absence of the four animatronics and even Chica the dog and tiny box Tim "w-wait, what? where-"

"Put _everyone_ on the wall! _Everyone!"_ Mark's voice suddenly boomed from down the hall, just outside the door to the medical bay " _EVERYONE!"_

"What- Mark!?" Jack tore himself free from Vanoss's grip and ran out after him, having to sprint as fast as possible in order to catch up to his friend, who was running at top speed through the hallways "wh-where are you going!? What's wrong!?" he was barely aware that everyone was trying their best to keep up "Mark? Mark!?"

"Jack, listen to me!" Mark suddenly screeched to a halt, nearly causing Jack to crash into him "I'm sorry I hurt you" he gasped, eyes wild with terror as he struggled to level his breathing "I really, truly am, I'll make up for it, but now we have to _run._ "

Jack went to say something, but Mark had already taken off. He groaned before running after him once more, following him all the way up the flight of stairs that led to the Firewall.

"S-Sorry! Coming through!" Mark shouted as he barreled past several unsuspecting AI, who were minding their own business on the wall. They shouted and scattered out of surprise as Mark continued going, finally stopping so he could hold of the railing with both hands and lean out as far as possible, looking into the distance through squinted eyes.

"M-Mark, what's going on!?" Jack gasped as he came to Mark's side "wh-where did yer Animatronics go, anyway!?"

"My Antechamber" Mark wheezed, just as breathless as Jack "I need to save their strength for the fight."

"F…Fight? What?"

"Jack" Mark whirled around to look at him, just as the others finally caught up "did anything seem off about this Golden Bonnie?"

"I… Uh…" Jack shuddered under Mark's crazed, frantic look "Y… Yes… It was pretty… Fooked up… all ragged and old looking…"

"Did… Did it have a green tint to it?"

Jack blinked "Y-yeah… What's going on!? Isn't that another one of your Characters?"

Mark held Jack's worried gaze for a while longer before glancing up at everyone else "l-listen to me, all of you" he gasped, stepping forward to face them directly "get _every single fighter_ onto the Firewall, I'm asking… No… I'm _begging_ you to _trust_ me on this."

"Not until you tell us what's going on" Felix crossed his arms "Mark, just what the hell is _happening?_ "

"I know things" Mark gasped "I've learned many… Many things… And if that thing is what I _think_ it is… than…" he stopped to catch his breath before continuing "we'll all be royally screwed if it reaches the city…"

With that, his Warftwings snapped out, and with a grunt, he swung himself over the railing to stand on the edge of the wall "h-hey! Where do you think you're going!?" Vanoss snapped, spreading his own wings as he went up to him in means of stopping him.

"I need to do this!" Mark shouted back, casting one final glance at Jack before leaping from the wall, just narrowly avoiding Vanoss's attempt of catching him. Jack gasped and grabbed the railing; looking down just in time to see Mark's Warfwings catching the air and pulling him back up, and Jack could just barely hear him shout desperately back to him as he flew off, his voice barely audible over the howling wind.

"Do not follow me! _Protect the city!_ I repeat _, DO NOT FOLLOW ME!"_


	24. Chapter 25

"OH, _fuck off_ with that!"

Vanoss immediately jumped after him, his powerful wings making it less than child's play to catch up to Mark, who was frantically flapping his wings in desperation to get away from him.

"Mark, you crazy sack of shit, just what do you think you're doing!?" Vanoss yelled at him over the rushing wind, flying up so he was above the flannel wearing AI "don't make be drag your ass down to the ground! Answer me!"

"S-Stay out of this!" Mark snapped up at him before diving down to gather more speed. Vanoss rolled his eyes and caught the slipstream behind him, catching up rather easily due to his greater experience with flying.

"Uh, how about no?" Vanoss spat at him as he continued to gain on him "how about I throw you into the lake again!? Maybe THAT will bring you back to your senses!"

"Vanoss, this thing will kill you-"

"And not you!?" Vanoss dove down under Mark before yanking himself back up, snapping out his wings to their full extent as he was now in front of Mark, who yelled and flapped frantically, lurching backwards in means of avoiding a collision.

"L-Listen to me" Mark's voice was desperate over the sound of their beating wings as they hovered in front of each other "if what Jack is true than... It could almost be here... Even if it was just walking, it-"

"I don't know what's so bad about this green-gold what-cha-ma-call-it" Vanoss admitted, keeping his yellow gaze locked onto Mark "but what I do know is that you're in _no_ condition to go out there right now!"

"Vanoss-"

"Let's recap!" Vanoss began to count off his fingers "first, I nearly drown your ass; second, you got clobbered by a flippin' animatronic _bear_ , then learned it's your _Character_ after you a _6 hour long_ rematch and _then_ you get dragged off to the Mist where you fight a goddamn _70 level Virus_ , and you mean to tell me that you're _not_ exhausted!?"

"I-"

"No excuses!" Vanoss threw his arms out to the side before flying forward, tucking his wings up against his back as he barreled into Mark's chest, making him scream, his pink wings falling still out of shock, which led to a rather quick descent.

Vanoss wrapped his arms around his sides, making sure that his pink wings were also within his grip so he couldn't fly "we are going _back_ to the city!" He snapped, spreading his own wings back out and dragging a resistant Mark up with him as he flew back to the safety of the Firewall "and you are going to lay your ass down and take a goddamn nap for fucking once!"

Mark's noisy protest was incoherent, barely understandable as Vanoss flew past the wall, taking Mark deeper into the city. He eventually landed, tucking his wings in as he began to drag a resistant Mark back into the large building of the medical bay.

"V-Vanoss! _Look out!"_

Vanoss blinked and looked up to see Jack and Felix rushing at him, Jack's hand extended as he was apparently pointing at something behind him. Vanoss immediately dropped Mark and whirled around just in time to see the rapidly approaching blur of a japing, robotic jaw, and along with it came several razor sharp teeth.

 **"Foxy _,_ _NO!_ "**

Vanoss took a breath as the animatronic fox stopped dead, his teeth just inches away from Vanoss's face as both of Mark's hands came into view, closing down onto his open jaw, snapping it shut and forcing it away from Vanoss.

"NO." Mark repeated sternly, breathing hard as he looked up at Foxy "he's a _friend."_

Foxy seemed taken aback by this, his robotic feet clanking loudly as he took a step away from Vanoss. At this time, Felix and Jack had caught up, MatPat wheezing as he eventually came staggering along, his stamina at an obviously lower level than everybody else's.

"What the hell was that!?" Felix's tone was loud and dripping with fury, his crystal blue eyes glaring at the animatronic fox "Mark, you'd better have a good explanation for that!"

"H-He was trying to protect me!" Mark gave Felix a panicked look, eyes wide with a pleading expression within them "h-he wouldn't-"

"Well, it sure looked like he tired to!"

"I'm fine, quit acting like I died" Vanoss spoke up, an edge to his voice "and do you really think I wouldn't have been able to survive that? You think so low of me, Felix…"

"It's not that" Felix turned his glare onto Vanoss "what I'm saying is that these things apparently can't be controlled like the others!"

"H-He has the mentality of the child!" Mark cried, looking desperate "h-he doesn't know any better!" he whirled around to look back at the animatronic that was still at his side "all he needs is to be taught, right, Foxy?"

Vanoss raised his eyebrows as Foxy gave a slight nod, his robotic amber eyes flicking from Mark to Felix in a shaky manner. He almost looked nervous, as if Felix's very presence was a nightmare come true. Vanoss could only wonder how a robotic animal could portray so much emotion in the first place.

"Don't ever attack someone like that again" Mark said as evenly as possible, yet the shakiness of his hands gave away just how stressed he was "save it for the Viruses and Springtrap, got it?"

"Wait, what?"

Vanoss blinked as he saw Mark visibly tense up upon hearing Jack's questioning voice "'Springtrap?' Who are yeh talking about?"

Mark slowly turned to look back at Jack, Foxy disappearing in a flurry of red pixels as Mark was obviously having trouble explaining himself.

"Springtrap is the golden Bonnie" he suddenly blurted out as if he was confessing to something "and he's probably one of the most dangerous Characters out there."

"Wow, just a second ago you were being all secretive and here you are, spilling every one of your secrets" Vanoss scoffed, crossing his arms as he let out a loud sigh "are you having an existential crisis or something?"

"Uh… W-What you just said doesn't make any sense" MatPat ignored Vanoss's nonchalant reaction "you're talking like you don't have any control over this… Springtrap…"

"I _don't._ "

The following silence was heavy, confused glances turning from one person to the other as Mark took another breath, struggling to maintain his composure.

"Look" he eventually gasped, looking straight at Felix "I'll admit, I don't know _that_ much, mostly because they don't want to talk about it. Like I said, it was traumatizing-"

"If there's something threatening the safety of this city, I have every right to know what it is" Felix spoke with a sudden coldness, his eyes narrowing upon Mark's following look of shock "your animatronics' sense of comfort does _NOT_ come before the security of our home."

Mark pursed his lips together before looking away from his leader, his eyes squeezing shut as he exhaled through his nose.

"Springtrap is from one of their game's following installments."

"Go on…"

"I wish I could" Mark gave Felix a defeated look "and I'm not stopping here because they won't tell me, they honestly don't know. Those Viruses didn't just block out their control, but also their memories. The only thing they remember about that place is the fact that it was some form of torture, being infected… It hurts more than you think, and… Some of the few memories they retain are those given by the games themselves; the code within their avatars…"

"And? What's so bad about this Springtrap?"

Mark turned to look at Jack, his eyes suddenly lacking their lively shine, exhaustion dark and heavy on his eyelids, and it was then that Vanoss realized just how hard he was currently pushing himself. Even standing must have been quite the strain for him.

"This code is always… Fluctuating…" he meekly explained "something is happening on the Flipside… The internet apparently can't make up their mind about _what_ Springtrap is… What kind of _character_ he is…"

He looked back up at Felix "but the dominant theme is that Springtrap… Is a murderer… A killer, someone with nothing but evil intentions, hell-bent on some sort of mission, whether it is for personal gain or due to instinctual malice, I don't know… But what I _do_ know is that if it gets to the city…"

The following words caught in his throat, causing him to sputter, his voice cracking shortly after.

"…H-He'll _kill us all_ …"

With that, Mark suddenly slumped forward, his knees buckling underneath him as his muscular form tilted forward, rushing down to face-plant against the ground. Vanoss was barely aware of Jack screaming Mark's name as he fell, but before anyone could intercept the collapsing man, there was a flash of red pixels.

Vanoss had to hold Jack back as Bonnie and Chica appeared on both sides Mark, their bulky arms reaching down and under him, catching him just before he could hit the ground. Their jaws twitched open and shut, both of them releasing a low, raspy moan of sorts.

"They're worried about him…"

Vanoss blinked and turned to see Sky standing behind him, supposedly late to the party. He was watching the bunny and chicken hoist Mark up, Bonnie taking him into their own arms bridal-style as Mark was fully unconscious now.

"I know you have your concerns" Sky suddenly turned to look at Felix "but they undoubtedly love him, just as you love your pugs. How Jack loves Sam, how Vanoss loves Hoodini" he gave MatPat a small glance "you get the idea…"

Vanoss frowned, yet kept his lips pursed as Sky was unusually calm in such a stressful situation. His brown eyes sweeping over the small crowd before looking back at Bonnie and Chica, who had not taken their robotic gaze off of Mark.

"I can sense it, too" he suddenly gasped "Springtrap is _dangerous_ …" he glanced back at Felix "put _everyone_ on the wall, call back the patrols, tell the younger AI to hide in their quarters."

"Even you think that?" Felix frowned "I-"

"If Springtrap finds a patrol, he will slaughter them without hesitation" Sky met Felix's skeptical gaze "if he finds the young ones, they will die. If he reaches the Core…"

He violently shuddered, eyes as wide as the moon "we're all screwed…"

"Sky… How do you know all of this?" Vanoss took a step towards the taller AI, looking over his face, frowning as his _Owl's Eyes_ failed to expose anything of substance "you talk like you've _met_ this thing…"

"I haven't" Sky hollowly admitted before slowly reaching up to point down the hall, directed to Bonnie and Chica "but I've met _them_ …"

Sky was quick to walk up to the animatronics, his hesitation at a minimum as he reached up to touch the shoulder of Chica, directing their purple eyes down towards his own "come on, he needs a proper bed" his voice was a slight whisper as he directed them down the hallway "let's go find an empty room, yeah?"

"Th-The fook?" Jack sputtered as Sky led the two animatronics down the hall, Mark's hair and legs barely sticking out from behind Bonnie's body "I… H-Hey! Wait for me!"

Vanoss watched as Jack hauled ass after them, slowing down to a trot in means of staying by Bonnie's side, worrying over Mark as they eventually disappeared behind the corner "Uh… Uh…" MatPat fidgeted around, debating whether to follow or not "er… Oh screw it!" he gasped before running after them, leaving Vanoss to stand awkwardly beside Felix.

He turned his yellow gaze onto his leader, frowning at what he saw "well?" he crossed his arms "you're the one who gave this duty to Sky. You tell me if you trust his judgment or not."

Felix was silent, unmoving as he watched MatPat vanish from sight. His entire body was taunt, hands clenched into fists as he was obviously debating his next move.

Vanoss refused to flinch as Felix eventually returned the look, his eyes narrowing upon seeing the yellow in his gaze "get up to my apartment" he suddenly ordered "stay on the balcony, you'll have a better view up there… Tell your friends to stay on the wall."

Vanoss raised his eyebrows as Felix then turned and left the building, his stride as brisk as always. Vanoss watched him go, keeping his mouth shut as for once, he wholeheartedly agreed with his decision.


	25. Chapter 26

"You... You... _Dork!_ "

Sky couldn't decide whether to roll his eyes or take the flimsy insult seriously and lower his head in shame.

"I-I am _not_ happy with you!"

Sky felt immensely awkward as they continued to scold him, yet their voice couldn't back them up. Their British accent was high pitched with obvious hysteria, not to mention that they were naturally a gentle soul and not one for harsh words. Yet they were really trying, being legitimately frustrated with Sky, who knew very well that underneath all of that frustration was actually concern for his well being.

"Y-You could have been _killed_ without them!"

"S-Sorry-"

"N-No! Not today!"

Sky resisted the urge to recoil away as they thrusted a hand up, pointing at his face with a shaky finger "y-you're so stubborn!" They cried, their diamond blue eyes wide and blazing with an intense emotion that Sky could only describe as a mixture of frustration and worry "wh-why can't you see that this is for the better!?"

"D-Dan-"

"I gave you the diamonds for a reason, Sky!" the man named Dan stomped his foot down, his blue eyes squeezing shut as she then proceeded to shift his weight from foot to foot "I-I don't understand why you don't use them!"

"I-I-"

"They're still _mine_ , you know!" Dan reached up to adjust the neon blue goggles he had propped up onto his forehead, as if it was a nervous habit of some kind "I-I _know_ when they've been used or not! And you, sir, haven't done a _thing_ with them!"

"I-I don't _want_ to use them!" Sky felt like a whiny child, complaining like he was, yet raising his voice was the only way to truly get Dan to listen to him "it doesn't feel right, okay!? I feel like-"

"I don't give a flying... er... _frog_ , about that!" Dan sheepishly avoided saying the F word "y-you're a warrior! Better at fighting than I'll ever be! I don't see why you're being such a stubborn... _female dog_ , about this!"

"Female-? Whatever" Sky dismissed Dan's odd replacement for the word ' _bitch_ ' and continued on "Dan, listen to me, I don't deserve them, if _anyone_ has won the rights to the diamonds, it's _you!_ "

"No" Dan's voice suddenly dropped down to an even hiss, making Adam shut up "I didn't do a thing... No one ever has! We take what's given to us and make the best of it! That's all we've ever done! I didn't do a dang thing!" Dan stepped forward, reaching up to brush his dark blue hair out of his eyes so he could see Sky better "who receives the title of Expert is dependant on the Flipside, it's not something you earn with hard work! I'm just a _nerd_ , Sky!"

"Dan-"

"The next time you go charging into a fight like that, you use the diamonds" Dan took a step back before whirling around and begining to walk away "or there'll be _H-E-double hockey sticks_ to pay!"

Sky held his hands up to his sides as Dan walked off, floundering for something to say. He snapped his mouth shut as Dan soon went around a distant corner, disappearing from sight and leaving him to stand in the middle of the hall like an idiot.

"I-Is he gone?"

"F-Fuck! Jack!" Sky gripped his chest as he turned to face the open doorway to his left, where the green haired Irishman stood with his hands braced against the frame "d-don't scare me like that!"

"S-Sorry" Jack flinched away before backing into the security of the room "h-he sounded pretty mad, this time..."

"No kidding" Sky breathed as he followed him into the room "d-did you hear all of that?"

"Pretty much" Jack shrugged "the door _was_ open, after all..."

"Part of me wishes Mark went above and beyond to make sure you didn't know about _that_ , either."

"Are yeh kidding me?" Jack snorted "that'd be like bringing a dead flower back to life by poking it with a stick!"

While Jack's analogy was at the very least extreme, it was fitting all the same. Sky and Dan had been in the midst of tension ever since Dan had achieved the same level of power as Sky, and had even surpassed him to become the next viable Expert of the game Minecraft. Yet in a bizarre turn of events, Dan had refused to take Sky's place and had given every single Character and weapon the game had to offer right back into an unexpecting Sky's arms on a permanent loan.

The diamonds were by far the most powerful items in the game, being able to form powerful weapons and armor that can be used for an extraordinarily lengthy amount of time. While MatPat and a few of the other theorists criticised the diamond's physical traits being quite the departure from real-life diamonds, they were an extreme advantage on the battlefield, and no one could deny that.

Even then, Sky absolutly hated using them. The diamonds were a neon blue, perfectly reflecting the color of Dan's eyes, as if they were _made_ for him. To look at them made him feel insanely awkward, gave him the feeling of being a thief, taking what rightfully belonged to Dan. Yet the short Brit was a persistent one, always nagging him to harness the power that he himself had abandoned, it didn't feel right, and Dan didn't seem to understand Sky's well founded awkwardness.

Yet as of now, Dan had a valid point, especially when it came to the mysterious Springtrap Mark was so afraid of. Sky was looking down at the Korean now, standing beside Jack as Mark lay comatose in the medical bay _yet again._ The animatronics had vanished, supposedly into his Antechamber, leaving Sky and Jack to stand there awkwardly and do nothing but stare at his almost peaceful face.

"How many weapons do you have?"

Sky was surprised by how level his voice was considering he was the only conscious person that was aware of Springtrap's spastic nature, and was internally mortified by it. Jack appeared to be just as startled "enough" Jack simply stated "but..."

"But?" Sky stiffened up; Jack hadn't reached any complications with Undertale yet, and this had to be the worse time to start having them.

"I feel like there's something I'm missing..."

" _Oh god no_ " Sky thought as he turned to look at the Irishman.

"...I think..." Jack suddenly turned to meet his gaze "...Sky I think I'm growing flowers."

"What?" Sky hadn't been expecting that.

"Flowers" Jack repeated "big and gold, they're all over the courtyards, especially where I summoned Frisk."

"I... never noticed" Sky felt himself relax "and you think...?"

"I don't know what I think" Jack frowned, looking back down at Mark "none of my Characters know, so... I think I'm missing something..."

"Missing a Character?"

"Well... no..." the Irishman shook his head "just... missing part of the _story_. I need more practice... maybe" he squeezed his eyes shut and looked away from Sky, leaving the taller man to stare at the back of his head in concern.

The taller AI was about to open his mouth and insist he clarify, but before he could do so, an odd feeling took hold of his chest, startling him into snapping his mouth shut.

"Sky?"

Jack's voice was unusually faint as Sky's hands found a nearby wall, his feet slipping against the tiled floor as his larger body practically gave out from underneath himself, and soon went crashing down to the ground with an ungraceful _thud_. Jack's voice had risen to a shriek, but Sky could barely hear it at all; the world was spinning around him, his ears ringing so intensely that he was deafened to everything but Jack's iconically loud voice.

Part of him wanted to scream but the other half was too disoriented to do so. Sky lamely grabbed at the ground as Jack swooped down to haul him up from the floor, only to be taken down by Sky's weight and fall down to his side, all while screaming what Sky could only assume to be his name.

"M-My legs..." Sky finally managed to talk, but it was nothing more than a gasp. His ears continued to ring, yet now he had grasped the full terror of the situation "J-Jack... I can't feel my legs..."

"What!?" He could barely make out Jack's mortified screech. Sky craned his neck back so he could look up at the now panicking Irishman, which in itself was a difficult task. He was a spinning blur for him, as was the rest of the room, and it took Sky a few seconds to properly register that Jack was standing up and running out, crying out for help as Sky could only lay there and stare absently at his legs.

It was as if they weren't there at all, everything from the waist down was nothing but a dead weight, as if his legs were nothing but an accessory. Yet he didn't feel pain, the only discomfort within his body being the pounding within his skull.

"What happened!?"

"I don't know! He just FELL!"

Sky's eyelids fluttered as voices boomed out from around him, hands grabbing at his shoulders as he was swarmed with colorful blurs, supposedly other AI, which then began to try and lift him up off the ground. Getting stressed was the least of his worries, considering he couldn't hurt anyone if he tried. Yet he was afraid, very, very afraid. As the blurs around him managed to haul his dead weight up from the floor, Sky's head bobbed about as if he lacked the strength to lift it himself.

There was a rush of momentum, and Sky soon found himself laying flat on his back, presumably on a bed. Each room in the medical bay was equipped with two beds, so Sky could only assume that they hadn't even left the room.

"What the hell's going on!?"

"Get back to the spire!"

"Sky? Sky!?"

"Where's MatPat!?"

"G-Get the scanner!"

The voices were rising into a chorus of panicked shrieks and demanding questions, Sky thought he could make out Vanoss's voice for a second, but it was gone as soon as it had arrived. Jack was still there, hearing him was no chore, and he could have sworn that Dan and Felix were among them. Sky's head turned to the side, his eyes locking upon the bed across the room, where Mark lay, supposedly unaware to all of the chaos that was swarming the room.

But something was off, even if the tan and black blur of Mark was just... well... a blur. Sky squinted, his vision focusing ever so slightly as he looked at the blur, puzzled by something that he couldn't quite describe. Something felt diffrent, and Sky soon realized the certain absence of a certain something.

he lacked a color.

Red.

Even as a blur, it was obvious that Mark's hair was no longer the bright, vibrant shade of red it used to be. Mark's hair was known to change colors, it was something that had happened often. He had been born with raven black hair, and it had stayed like that even as Mark became Expert... yet one day it had turned into a neon pink, around the same time Jack's brown hair had turned green. After a while, Mark's pink hair became blue, then he developed some purple streaks, and as it had begun to fade, his iconic red hair made it's first appearance.

Mark's red hair had stayed for quite a long time, so everyone had assumed that it was there to stay, but as Sky lay there apparently paralyzed from the waist down, Mark's hair was that of raven black once again. He looked as he did when he was younger, perhaps with more of a beard, and it appeared that Sky was the only one who was noticing this, as everyone else was so distracted. Sky suddenly felt a sense of dread, as he came to a startling conclusion.

If Mark's avatar had updated to match the Flipside, it was possible that Sky had also updated.

" _What happened?"_ Sky thought as he felt like he was about to start weeping _"did something happen... to me? To the Flipside?"_

He shuddered from the thought, his hands gripping the bed sheets tightly as the chaos around him continued. The fear was worsening, a deep panic beginning to settle in his chest.

 _"Am I going to die?"_


	26. Chapter 27

Vanoss had his forehead up against the glass wall of Felix's apartment, neglecting his all-powerful sniper, which he had propped up and left on the railing. The sun was setting, the darkness turning the glass into a partial mirror, from where Vanoss glared at the yellow eyes that stared back. He had heard Jack screaming bloody murder and rushed down to see Sky being a limp ragdoll on the floor. Of course, Felix had nearly bit his head off and set him right back up to his post.

He spent a few seconds glaring daggers at himself before turning back to his sniper rifle and unhooking a small touch screen up off his belt. he held it up to his face, flicking a finger across the screen in order to activate it.

The screen was immediately swarmed with notifications, all of which originating from a massive text chat he had formed with his closest friends. He scanned through them before flicking them away. MatPat had developed this simple chat system long ago. He had also created a phoning system, yet no one used it as much as the texting function.

Vanoss didn't feel like typing, so he accessed the small tablet's neglected phone service and rung someone up, bracing his elbows against the railing and holding the screen up to his ear as a distinct ringing could be heard.

"Where are you!?"

Vanoss grimaced as a voice almost immediately boomed out from the tablet, right into his ear. They sounded frantic, as if Vanoss was their defenseless child, lost in an amusement part or whatever.

"Good to hear you to, mom" Vanoss replied with sarcasm, rolling his eyes.

"Oh my god you have NO idea how scared I was!"

"Gee, Delirious, it's almost like you care!"

"Shut up and listen to me!" Delirious snapped over the tablet "we all thought you-"

"I'm fine" Vanoss muttered "how's Sky?"

"Wh- Sky!? That's who you're worried about!?" Delirious seemed livid, his voice shrill with hysteria "what about yourself!?"

"What about me?"

"Both Mark and Sky are down for the count! The Experts are practically dropping like FLIES!"

"Oh" Vanoss blinked, finally understanding Delirious's concern "I'm not going to collapse, I'm fine."

"The hell you are! Where are you!?"

"No where" Vanoss looked at his sniper "seriously, I feel fine. Great, actually."

"That's a fucking lie."

"Wow. You're really mad"

"We all are! You can't just run off like that! Not with a stupid curse killing off our Experts!"

"Curse? That's what you think?" Vanoss pinched the bridge of his nose "god... You really are helpless... No one's even dead!"

"Sky's dying!"

"So he's still alive?"

"Yeah but-"

"Kk bye" Vanoss tapped the screen, disconnecting the call before Delirious could respond.

He hesitated before scrolling through his lengthy list of contacts, stopping as MatPat's name showed up.

Vanoss frowned, stepping away from the railing and leaning his back against the glass wall. He found himself looking out at the setting sun, the horizon pale with a flaxen twilight. There was no Springtrap anywhere, and that made Vanoss shudder.

 _"This isn't right"_ he thought as he tapped MatPat's contact and sent out the call.

"You really need to stop making your friends mad!"

Vanoss had to hold back a snort of laughter as MatPat's voice quickly answered.

"I'm serious" MatPat growled as if he could sense Vanoss's struggle to hold his composure "Delirious is-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry" Vanoss interrupted "but I have a theory."

"What? You?"

"Shocker, I know" Vanoss went back to glaring at the sinking sun "who else had been effected badly by the update?"

"Some of the Minecraft gamers" MatPat seemed hesitant to give him this information.

"Dan?"

"Doing great, actually... Still won't take over for Sky."

"Is Jack okay?"

"For the most part."

"Mark?"

"Still comatose... Why?"

Vanoss looked down at his feet "I think I know why Springtrap hasn't shown up yet."

"Oh?" MatPat sounded legitimately surprised "well... don't leave me in the dark."

"I think it was waiting."

"For...?"

"The update" Vanoss clarified "waiting until after it passed."

"What? Why?"

"Think about it" Vanoss hissed "two of our strongest warriors are down for the count, Jack's seeing things, I think that makes it pretty clear."

"Strike us when we're most vulnerable" MatPat suddenly concluded "oh... That makes so much sense... I should have seen that..."

"Something must have happened to Sky on the Flipside... To the channel... Whatever the reason, he's loosing power."

"Do you think he-"

"No" Vanoss shook his head "no I don't think he died. Sky would be much worse off if his human counterpart was dead."

"Fair enough... What should I do?"

"Get Mark on his feet... Before Springtrap comes for real."

"Acknowledged." MatPat replied before hanging up, leaving Vanoss to lower the tablet and stare absently at it's screen.

"I wonder why."

Vanoss stiffened up as a voice suddenly came from behind him, making him turn to see a figure standing near the railing, facing the setting sun.

"Felix" Vanoss identified him easily, even though his body was cast in the shadow of upcoming night "were you with-"

"Sky? Yes." Felix leaned his weight onto the railing "still getting weaker."

"How bad?"

"He's currently loosing the sight in his right eye."

"Bad." Vanoss concluded.

"Utterly." Felix looked down at the city below them "it's tragic."

Vanoss watched him for a while, eyes narrowed as he couldn't make out his facial expression through the darkness "did the.. Human Felix... Know the human Sky?"

"I believe he's aware of his existence" Felix murmured "references him off and on..."

"Really?"

"You know when your human counterpart makes a reference, and it gets stuck in your head?"

"Yeah..."

"I have a mental image of Sky eating a bowl of cereal and I don't know why" Felix chuckled a bit "but I know he was using lactose free milk."

"What... What is milk?"

"I have no idea, but apparently it can be lactose free."

The moon had begun to rise, casting it's light onto Felix so Vanoss could see him again.

Vanoss blinked "Wait... What's lactose?"

"Again, don't know."

"Cereal?"

"No idea."

"And... Eating? What... What is that?"

"He was putting it in his mouth."

"And?"

"It just disappeared" Felix suddenly looked like he was having an existential crisis "and he just kept putting more in..."

"So... Eating is teliporting stuff out of your mouth?"

"Apparently."

"That... Ew..." Vanoss made a face "humans are... Weird..." Vanoss found himself looking at Felix's hair "and- oh."

"What?" Felix looked at him.

 _"Your_ human must be _really_ weird."

"Really? Took you that long to notice- wait. Why?" Felix stood up straight.

Now that the moonlight was shining on him, Vanoss could see how the update had effected him, and part of him wanted to laugh. Yet he held it in and tried to comprehend how Felix hadn't even noticed yet.

"What?" Felix eventually pressed, eyes narrowed.

"Your hair."

"What about it?"

"It's... _white."_


	27. Chapter 28

"Hey Mark?"

"Yeah?"

"I've had an epiphany."

"Oh?"

"Yep."

"About what?"

"About this."

"What about it?"

"It sucks."

"Really?" Mark tried and failed to crane his neck up so he could look at Sky "no way. You're pulling my leg."

Mark was still prohibited to move, to which he was grateful considering his whole body ached like hell. These banter-like conversations with the equally immobile AI on the other side of the room were all he had to distract himself from the discomfort.

"No, no, it sucks." Sky mumbled from where he lay. Mark could hear him shifting about as he tried to move again, and the almost violent sigh that followed shortly after seemed to confirm that he was still unable to do so.

"What are you _talking_ about?" Mark felt a grin creeping on as his sarcasm sent Sky into a slight giggling fit "this is _amazing_."

"Oh" Sky's voice went up in volume as if Mark had suddenly changed his mind "oh, oh yeah, I see it now."

"I know, right?"

"The paint job on this ceiling is phenomenal."

"Yes, yes, and the cracks give it such a wonderful atmosphere."

"You know... The room looks so _dynamic_ through only one eye."

"What- oh..."

"Uh... I-"

"I'm sorry-"

"No" Sky blurted out as if Mark had just popped a ballon "it's okay. I'm used to it."

"Already?" Mark wished he could make himself shut up.

"No, from way back, near the beginning... Remember?"

Mark blinked rapidly, tilting his head back slightly as he attempted to think back to the older days. Their world hadn't been forged when the internet first had; it had come into existence in just over five years ago with Felix as its first inhabitant.

Even Felix himself didn't know or remember how he was born, but he was a child full of unbridled power, and had created the Firewall on his own. Mark couldn't fathom how a newborn could do such a thing, but like Felix always made sure to mention, he had no fucking clue. Apparently it had come as instinct, something Felix had yet to replicate in current times.

But what Mark did know was that after Felix, several others were born, and that he and Sky were among them. They were some of the first and oldest, and had known each other for years before Jack and Vanoss even existed.

Sky's age and legacy made it near impossible for Mark to accept that he was currently a wreak, laying beside him, immobile and going blind.

It was then that Mark struck a realization "oh... Oh yeah, I remember..."

Something that had first drawn Mark to Sky near the beginning was how interesting his peculiar outfit was, and from then he had grown to appreciate his attitude and personality... But mostly his fashion choices, since they were just so darn weird.

"Double eyepatches" Mark let out with a sigh, feeling nostalgic at the memory of it all.

"Couldn't take them off" Sky chimed in, snickering quietly "for what... four years?"

"How did you even manage?"

"Viruses let off a massive stink" Sky reminded him "and they're loud... and just... Blehh..."

"Easy targets."

"Even for a blind guy."

Mark had yet to find another AI who had been born blind, let alone someone who could navigate their way through life so easily with two eyepatches, one over each eye.

"For a while I thought you were just weird, not blind" Mark felt like he was confessing.

"Dude. I was both. All the way." Sky snorted.

"I remember being having a crisis when Felix told me."

"I remember that too."

"Really?"

"I was _there_." Sky shifted around in his bed "I _still_ remember the sound of you hitting your head against the wall."

"Ow..." He practically winced "thanks for reminding me."

"It's even funnier because I got cured later that month."

"Oh god, yeah..." Mark closed his eyes "I think I cried."

"I most certainly did-"

Mark blinked as Sky was suddenly cut off by the creak of the door, followed by a series of quiet footsteps against the wooden floor. Mark wasn't able to see who it was due to his immobility, but he rolled his eyes as he sensed what they were trying to achieve.

"We're awake" he muttered "don't make this a cringe-fest."

"Sorry" MatPat's face suddenly slid into view "I could hear you through the door, but you suddenly went quiet when I-"

"Nothing to apologize for" Sky spoke up "what's up?"

"'What's up' is your hourly check-up. Hah! Rhymes!"

"Oh mercy me" Mark rolled his eyes once more as MatPat vanished from sight with a pleased look on his face "hey, can I walk now?"

"You asked that last time" MatPat reminded him from the other side of the room, presumably by Sky's bed.

"Aannnnd?" Mark drew out the word with a sense of hope to it.

"No."

"Aw..."

"But" MatPat suddenly returned into view "I think some movement to the waist wouldn't kill you."

Mark let out a dramatic gasp "hwah!? My savior!" He cried as MatPat reached down beside him to fiddle with a device of sorts. Each bed was equipt with a mechanism that split the board underneath the mattress across the middle, allowing the upper half to tilt up or down. Mark laid back as he was slowly propped up, his vision being directed from the ceiling to the far wall.

"What a diffrence!" Mark smiled as his cry of mock excitement caused Sky to giggle, and due to the change in position, he was finally able to get a look at the larger man. He turned his head, expecting to see him laying there, looking as he did before all of this madness had started. Yet the joyous look slipped from his face as he finally laid eyes upon Sky.

The voice Mark had spoken with for the past few days failed to match the grotesque truth of his condition. He looked pale, sick, as if he had been laying there for months rather than just a few days. MatPat was looking down at him, peering into his eyes with a concerned curiosity, and Mark couldn't help but feel horrible for Sky. Five long, respective years of life as an Expert, all reduced to nothing but this sick, frail man.

Mark almost felt angry, frustrated with the human world he had once adored and aspired to join. How they could do this to a friend, he couldn't fathom. Yet they had no idea that the AI existed, and that gave Mark a sense of hopelessness. They were at the mercy of the humans, who weren't even aware of the digital lives they effected so greatly.

"M-My other eye..."

Mark looked away as Sky's voice spoke up "it's started to fade, too..."

"Sky-"

"What's it look like?" Sky inturrupted MatPat's attempt to comfort him "you never told me. What's happened to my eyes?"

"It..." MatPat looked almost sick "I don't want to upset-"

"No, no, tell me." Sky almost sounded desperate "please. I need to know..."

Mark could sense MatPat casting him a hopeless glance before clearing his throat.

"It's as if... your pupils and irises are... dissappearing..."

Mark stiffened up at that, brow creasing as he turned back to see Sky staring blankly up at MatPat with what little sight he had left.

"Dissappearing?" Sky's voice was that of an average volume, yet it trembled in his throat "what... How?"

"They're just... fading..." MatPat turned away "...leaving the whites of your eyes... I'm so sorry... There's nothing I can do about it..."

Mark hadn't been expecting it to sound so severe, much less have MatPat turn his pockets out empty in response. He was about to say something, to try and ease the shock for Sky, a blur of blue at the door distracted him.

"I-I bare gifts- oh" the AI at the door stopped as they saw the apparent distress in the room "uh... I'll just-"

"Dan?" Sky turned his failing sight in his direction, making the blue haired Brit wince "is that you?"

"Y... Yeah..." Dan slowly walked in, giving Mark a respective nod before looking down at Sky "I... Uh... I'm..."

"You can say it" Sky mumbled as MatPat backed away to give the two Minecrafters some space "it's okay... Really..."

"You... don't look good..." Dan whispered, his blue eyes wide with emotional distress "I... I..."

Mark let his eyes trail down to Dan's arms, which held a basket of sorts. It was woven with dark straw, a white rim around it's edges. He quickly noticed a red ribbon wrapped around it's considerably fat diameter, tied off into a pretty bow. Mark blinked as nothing but large, flaxen, 3D rectangles resided inside, peaking his curiosity as Sky and Dan continued to awkwardly communicate.

"I didn't mean it" Dan suddenly blurted out "you're not a dork. I..."

"Aw" Sky cracked a weak smile "you know I am."

"I-I shouldn't have yelled at you-"

"Your diamonds, your rules." Sky shrugged.

"I... I..."

"Dan, this isn't your fault." The bed creaked as Sky tried to move, yet only succeeded slightly "please, don't beat yourself up over this..."

Dan looked like he was about to cry, tightening his grip on the basket as his blue eyes began to scrunch up, glistening with moisture as his short figure trembled with a stifled sob.

There were no words as Dan suddenly turned to a nightstand that stood against the wall between Mark and Sky's beds. The basket made a soft thud as he set it there.

"Ty and Jerome say hi" his voice came out weak "Jason and Jordan, too... I-In fact, everyone does... Out on the wall... Everyone's been recalled... Couldn't come..."

"Oh, that's alright" Sky accepted the change in topic "what's that? I can't see it."

"I... don't know..."

Mark blinked at that, exchanging a confused look with MatPat as Dan stared dumbly at the basket "just... yellow... bricks..."

"Budder?" Sky seemed to perk up at that, and Mark had to stifle a laugh. Sky had a habit of calling anything golden or even yellow for that matter 'budder' and Mark had to agree, the bricks in the basket looked very much like gold in the light of the room "aw... Ty... what a nice-"

"A-Actually" Dan interrupted "Ty didn't... well... I don't know who it's from..."

"What?" Mark and Sky said together.

"Someone dropped it off at my dorm" Dan explained "I never saw who left it..."

"Really?" It was MatPat's turn to speak "but... How did you know it was for Sky?"

"Th-There was a note" Dan dug a hand into his pant's pocket, withdrawing it to show a small piece of paper in his grasp "and... well... he's the only one in the medical bay who's obsessed with yellow things..."

"Can I see it?" Mark spoke up, holding out a hand, much to MatPat's concern. Dan looked legitimately startled as if he had forgotten Mark was there, but eventually obliged and set the paper down into Mark's palm.

Mark took another look at the apparent basket of 'budder' before looking down at the surprisingly ragged note. It appeared to be a glued, ugly mess of letters, which had been individualiy ripped from a variety of sources. Some letters had been extracted from plain, white paper while others doned a bright pink color. The outcome was a simple set of three short words:

 _ **Get Well Soon.**_

Mark frowned, lips parting slightly as the conversation between Dan and Sky resumed without him. MatPat had gone back to checking Sky's health, leaving Mark to ponder alone as he was briefly ignored.

He eventually tightened his grip on the note, crushing the glue stained paper with his returning strength. Mark exhaled softly as he then released his hold on it and allowed it to fall free in a crumpled wad.

 _"Wait... Why did I do that?"_ Mark watched as the mangled clump of paper fell to his bedsheets without bounce, yet a breeze sent it tumbling off onto the floor, out of sight _"that was... impulsive..."_ He shook his head and strained to reach down and pick it back up.

"Wha- MARK!"

Mark let out a yelp of pain as he jerked back up just as his fingers brushed up against the crumpled paper. He retreated empty-handed, eyes wide as he turned to face the infuriated MatPat glaring at him from his bedside.

"Did you even hear what I said!?" The theorist was borderline hysterical, arms outstretched in a hopeless guesture as Dan and Sky awkwardly observed the confrontation.

Mark hung his head in dramatic shame, yet he could feel his cheeks grow warm with true embarrassment "s-sorry..."

"Oh you _will_ be!" MatPat let out an airy breath "...when you find yourself toting around in a wheelchair for the rest of your life! The code of your avatar isn't as durable as your sprit, dingus!"

"Owch." Mark cringed away from the childish insult.

"I'm serious" MatPat crossed his arms "how you've stayed _alive_ after all the running around you've done is mind-boggling! You should be _dead_ at this point!" MatPat closed his eyes and shook his head "it's a downright miracle."

Mark tensed up under the weight of his words, as morbid as they were, they were heavy with stark realism. Mark couldn't handle summoning a Character at the moment, and he couldn't even grab a piece of stupid paper up off the floor. The truth of his condition cast a shadow over Mark's heart, his chest tightening with a ripe panic as he now understood how close to death he had come in the past couple of days.

"Okay" he had to force himself to speak "what do you want me to do?"

"Nothing!"

"Roger that" Mark turned to the opposite wall and laid back, officially forfeiting his pride to a momentarily surprised MatPat, who quickly took his cooperating as a blessing and went back to Sky's bedside in satisfaction.

"Hey... Dan..." Mark whispered to the shorter Brit, who whirled around in surprise as if communication between the two of them was a rarity "pay me a little visit, will ya?"

"Wh-When?"

"Now."

"What?"

"Get over here" Mark rolled his eyes as he clarified to a confused Dan, who quickly caught on and scooted over "I can't leave, so I want you to pass something on for me."

"Okay?"

"It's for Jack" Mark strained to look at him without moving his head "tell him... I won't be there to fight Springtrap..."

"Oh..." Dan's diamond blue eyes went wide as he apparently understood "r...right... I can do that..."

"Thanks" Mark was personally distraught about having to reside off the battlefield, yet MatPat was correct as he usually was. There was no way he could move, but something pressed at his mind, an idea that was sure to cause more turmoil than anything.

"Listen, Dan" he whispered, eyes darting over to make sure MatPat and Sky couldn't hear "come closer, I need to ask something of you..."

"Okay...?"

"And you can't tell anyone."

"Oh no" Dan wheezed as he was seemingly gripped with unbridled terror in that moment.

"Just hear me out, okay?" Mark glanced back at MatPat to see they were still being ignored "please?"

"Mmngh..." Dan shuffled from foot to foot, eyes wide with conflicted parinoia as he eventually gave in and nodded his head in agreement.

"Great, thanks" Mark breathed "now... Here's the thing..."

...

Upon bring born blind, Sky had relied mostly on his hearing and other senses in order to make his way through life, hence why those other senses had become stronger and more reliable than the average AI. Even as his sight eventually developed properly after four long years, Sky's acute hearing remained, and as the larger man lay there with a single, dysfunctional eye, he could hear what MatPat could not.

The question Mark had laid upon Dan had admittedly blindsided Sky, who managed to keep his shock from showing to MatPat. Sky had always trusted the Korean, but something as extreme as this was straining his confidence. Yet as Dan gave a hesitant response, Sky let his mind drift and ponder on Mark's unexpected ideals in a more practical manner.

There was logic to it, and that understanding gave Sky an honest sense of terror. It took all of his willpower to conceal the inner turmoil from MatPat, who was thankfully distracted in that moment by Dan's breif farewell and departure shortly after his exchange with Mark.

Just from the haste of his footsteps alone Sky could tell the significant impact Mark's request had on the sheepish Brit. He had known Dan ever since his birth, just a few months after Jack's. Yet as Mark was that of a brother to Jack, Sky couldn't say the same thing about his relationship with Dan.

They communicated just fine, maintaining a mutual respect for one another in an admittedly awkward mentor-apprentice sittuation. Yet even as a solid friendship was eventually in play, they never truly got over their awkwardness, especially when Dan grew in strength and exceeded the limit that even Sky couldn't go beyond. While the Brit was powerful, he wasn't near close to challenging Jack or Mark.

Sky didn't mind at all contrary to rumor and gossip. In fact, he enjoyed having someone there to pick up after he left off upon his death. It was only now dawning on him that his relief might just be more than simple fiction. Dan was now the head of Minecraft weither he liked it of not, and unless Sky was to be blessed with a miracle, it would remain that way.

And Dan knew this. He knew it all too well. Sky could practically smell the scent of his fear linging in the air, and it made his head swim. Not to mention the pressure Mark had just laid upon the overwhelmed AI. But there was no way around it, and Sky could only lay there in a state of confused, agonizing despond.

 _"Dear god"_ was all he could think _"how did it come to this?"_


	28. Chapter 29

Jack sneezed.

"Interesting."

"Shut up" Jack sniffed and wiped his nose with a sleeve "it's the goddamn flowers."

"I noticed, they're springing up like weeds."

"Yer telling me!" Jack cried from where he lay, his view of the sky being obstructed by an abundance of golden flowers that grew around him "I feel like they're going to absorb me!"

"Why don't you stand up?" Cry's bland mask poked into view as Jack continued to fight against the flowers "you know, admit defeat."

"I'm not leaving until I can control these fookers." Jack growled stubbornly as he rolled over, crushing several of the flowers with his body "my power! Mine! Yeh obey ME!"

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"You're really, _really_ special."

"Don't yeh have a library to run?" Jack activated his sass and squinted up at the permanently masked man.

"Okay, okay, I get it" Cry raised his hands up in front of himself "have fun with your asters, just scream if they start eating you."

"Noted" Jack rolled over once again, the identified "golden asters" continuing to hassle him. They had grown in abundance ever since he had informed Sky of their existence, and now he was seriously regretting it. He couldn't even train properly, since they sprung up and caught on his feet whenever he stepped foot in the grass.

At the moment he looked like a total fool, literally wrestling the plants to the point of adapting the look of one himself. Grass stains and smears of dirt marred his clothes and skin, torn and mangled flower petals stuck up from his neon green hair as well as latching onto his faint beard in an irritable fashion. The fact that his ears were slightly pointed from natural growth didn't help in diminishing his current look of a hippy forest elf, either.

Jack ignored the odd looks of his fellow AI, who lingered out of concern, and lay flat on his stomach, arms stretched out in front of him as his chin rested onto the abundant flowers. Soon it almost seemed he was gazing into a forest, where the aster's stems pretended to be skinny green trees.

"Fook" was all Jack could mumble as he felt himself be tickled and enveloped in flowers as his struggled subsided due to exhaustion "end my suffering."

Jack peered into the mass of stems in front of him, grumpily debating his next move. He couldn't fight out in the wilderness with flowers clinging to him like plastic wrap. If Springtrap was as deadly as Mark portrayed him to be, Jack couldn't afford to be literally caught up by these golden nuisances.

He retracted a hand, ripping stems free as he pulled it in to his face. Jack propped his head up off the flower bed, resting his chin into the palm of his hand as his other hand's fingers rapped against the clinging stems underneath them.

"J-Jack?"

"Fook!" Jack lurched up, propping his upper half up by the arms as if he was a seal so he could peer up at the figure that had suddenly emerged for him "who- oh..."

Jack was admittedly surprised to see Dan standing over him out of free will as evident by the look of utmost concern on his face.

"A-Are you okay?" Dan's voice came out high in pitch as he quickly stooped down to pull off a section of the mat of flowers that had acumulated over Jack's shoulders, as if the irritating plants were acting as clothing.

"Yes. No." Jack grimaced as Dan tugged an impressively long aster stem free from where it had uncomfortably wrapped around his ear "they won't obey."

"Who? The flowers?"

"Yeah."

"These are from a game?" Dan gave the flowers in his petite grasp a confused look "uh... Why are they..."

"...Eating me?" Jack finished with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh my- are they actually!?" Dan shrieked and dropped the flowers, preparing to dive down onto Jack and attempt to save him.

"What- no! Kidding!" Jack assured as he shifted out from the seal-like position and onto his knees "if I was being eaten, yeh would know!"

"Oh..." Dan relaxed, but continued to cast the flowers a wary stare "then... why...?"

"I am a leprechaun!" Jack joked as he guestured to his slightly pointed ears, tossing his head in a dramatically graceful hair-flip, which caused his green fluff to only stand up even more on end "magical-"

"I don't think leprechauns... grow flowers. I mean, I think their magic brings luck more than vegetation."

"Eh?" The Irishman looked back at Dan "really?"

"What- you're Irish!" Dan gave Jack a hopeless guesture "I thought you knew that!"

"I... I... Whatever. Forest elf. Lord of the Rings style!"

"Elves can't grow facial hair." Dan sheepishly pointed at Jack's beard "and... I don't recall ALL of the elves in those books having magic..."

"Oh my god I can't win!" Jack flopped backwards, landing straight into the bed of flowers that had developed underneath him "what have I done to deserve this!?"

"...Jack...?"

"Yes?" Jack groaned as he rubbed his eyes, parinoia having kept him up all night and leaving him irritable and exhausted.

"I... I hate to add to your... 'suffering', but..." Dan crouched down by Jack's head so They saw eye to eye "um... Mark won't be in the fight..."

Jack blinked, pushing aster pedals off of the sides of his face "what?"

"...Against Springtrap..." Dan looked away "he can't move..."

"Still?"

Jack winced as his voice erupted more emotionally than he had anticipated, sending Dan reeling back ever-so-slightly as if he feared he had upset the Irishman.

"No- I... Ugh..." Jack sat up, stems and vines ripping and dangling down from his torso and arms, pinching the bridge of his nose as he mentally scolded himself for neglecting Dan's tender heart "it's not yeh. Just..."

"I'm sorry" Dan murmured simply, eyes darting down to watch his hands as he took hold of one if the several asters by the stem "but... every time he moves even a _little_ , MatPat falls into a... fit... He's legetimatly scared."

"Of course he is. He and Mark are close" Jack turned his attention to Dan's hands as he continued to fidget with the flower upon his fingertips "but... I'm scared too... Undertale is powerful, sure, but..."

"Power doesn't equal experince?"

"Exactly" Jack groaned "what if I can't do it? Felix won't be able to leave the Firewall..."

"There's Vanoss" Dan looked down once more "and me..."

Jack nodded only to jerk to a halt and swivel his gaze back over to the Brit "what?"

Dan settled down onto his knees, keeping close as he continued to avoid eye contact. Jack stared, lips parting ever-so-slightly as he was having difficulty believing what he had just heard.

"Yer... Going to fight?"

Jack could have sworn Dan had flinched in response to his prying words. The Brit hesitated before glancing back at Jack "...Sky's stuck..." He murmured "I don't have a choice anymore..."

Jack immediately looked down as neon blue pixels suddenly sprang up from Dan's fingertips, an object taking form in the palm of his hand. Jack recognized the shape of a Minecraft diamond, something Dan had once resented as his own.

"I-I'm scared out of my wits" Dan's voice shook in his throat as he drew his fingers over the neon blue surface of the diamond "e-even with so much power... I... I can't stop shaking..."

He suddenly looked up at Jack once more, his eyes wide with a frightened hysteria "h-how do you do it?" He asked, clutching the diamond with a shaky hand "h-how are you so... determined? You've been fighting ever since Felix _let_ you..."

"I... Well..." Jack was admittedly floored with this sort of question, from Dan of all people "I... I'm not sure. It's in my code. Being determined just feels... natural..."

"I- It feels natural to run and hide" Dan suddenly blurted out "I mean... for me. I... I hate conflict. I hate going out there and facing those monsters." he turned his head away, his blue eyes squeezing shut as he did so "I... I hate being held up to this high standard..."

Dan suddenly restablished eye contact, making Jack's eyebrows arch up out of surprise as he saw nothing but pure, unbridled emotion "I-I want to just... live. I want my friends to stay safe. I want to go out and play in the grass each and every day without worrying about a stupid Virus or whatever!"

Jack watched as Dan suddenly dropped the flower he had been fidgeting with, his voice becoming more and more shrill as he began to grow increasingly emotional "this is it! This is our life! Nothing but fighting, over and over until we win! Every day, I stand on the wall, hoping myself to death that my friends actually come back! Sometimes they don't! Do we even know why those gross, vile jerks want us dead in the first place!? We have to protect the Core, but why!? What happens if they got it!? Maybe this sick, stupid routine would finally end if they did!"

Jack continued to watch and listen in a stunned silence as he had never seen Dan on the verge of tears before, much less screaming out his frustration like he was now, which had been obviously festering within his mind for quite some time. He had to admit, he rose some pretty valid questions, and Jack was left speechless as he realized just how limited their range of knowlege was. It was almost instinctual to protect the Core, and not once before had Jack questioned why.

"I'm... just not a fighter" now that Dan had let off some steam, he just seemed defeated at this point "I'm a... a crafter. I make things, not destroy them."

He suddenly made the diamond explode into pixels, watching with an absent look in his eyes as they flew up like feathers before disintegrating into the calm air "but... it's no longer about what I think... right?"

Jack couldn't do anything but stare as Dan went on "actually... I don't think it ever was" Dan's diamond blue eyes flickered over in his direction, briefly holding his gaze before he looked away "you know... Felix once called this a war. But... that's not true..."

Dan suddenly reached over and took a flower from Jack's shoulder, making the Irishman blink and look down at himself to see that the golden asters had stopped their advancement onto him; they now just lazily clung to his forearms, feet, and waist. After he fully comprehended this, Jack turned his attention back up to Dan only to see that the Brit had turned his back to him, but the flower still sat in his palms. Jack just _knew_ that for some reason.

"It's not a war if only one side is attacking" Dan's voice was meek, strained with a gut-wrenching despair that lay in the echo of his previous meltdown "we defend and we hide, that's all; that's our life."

There was a moment of silence before Dan turning back at Jack once more, the golden aster now in view, clearly trembling in his hands as the rest of the Brit was shaking just as badly.

"...But if it means living another day..." Dan's blue eyes glistened in the daylight with accumulating tears "if I can _save_ someone... save Sky... save Mark _..._ save you... _anyone_... then darn it all, I'll suck it up and do just that."


End file.
